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A HISTORY OF 

THE BRICK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 

IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK 




THE BHICK CHrRCH 0\ BEEKMAN STREET 
From :in oil paiiilinn in the possession of the churrh 



A HISTORY 

OF THE 

BKICK PEESBYTEEIAN CHURCH 

IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK 

BY 
SHEPHERD KNAPP 



" Inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to 
the search of their fathers. . . . Shall not they teach thee 
and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart? " — Job 8 : 8, 10. 

"The Brick Presbyterian Church has, from its origin, occupied 
a position sufficienty prominent to justify, even in the eyes of 
the men of the world, some historical notices, which may per- 
haps be viewed with interest by others as well as ourselves." 
— Gahdineb Spring, 1856, Brick Church Memorial, p. 7. 



NEW YORK 

PUBLISHED BY THE TRUSTEES OP 

THE BRICK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 
1909 






LIBRARY of CONGBESS 
Two Cooies RecetvMl 

FtB 4 1909 

CcpyriKiit tntry _^ 
CLASS ^ XXc, No. 



COPTHIQHT, 1909, 
BT THE CORPORATION OP 

THE BRICK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 
IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK 




^0 

MY MOTHER AND FATHER, 

TO WHOM I OWE 

MY HERITAGE IN THE OLD BRICK CHURCH, 

AND ALL MY LARGEST OPPORTUNITIES 

AND WORTHIEST AMBITIONS, 

IN LOVING MEMORY 

I DEDICATE 

THIS BOOK. 



PREFACE 

This history has been prepared, at the request of 
the trustees of the Brick Church, in the hope that it 
will interest the large number of people who are 
bound to the church by ties of the past or of the 
present, and those, also, whose interest in the history 
of the Christian Church at large will incline them to 
an examination of any important chapter of it. 

The author wishes, especially, that the volume 
might come into the hands of some of the young 
men who are about to choose among the various 
professions for their life-work, for it seems to him 
that a history like that of the Brick Church sets forth 
in an emphatic way the great opportunity which the 
Christian ministry offers in our time. The author 
has himself been so much impressed, as the facts of 
the history have unfolded before him, by the variety 
of interests with which he has been called upon to 
deal, the breadth of scope which the history has pre- 
sented, and the close relation which it has disclosed, 
especially in the record of later years, between the 
specific work of the minister and some of the prob- 
lems which most perplex our time and whose solu- 
tion will most profoundly affect the future of our 
country and of the world, that he cannot doubt but 
others will be impressed in the same way. 

A word should be said by way of explaining the 



viii PREFACE 

very brief account, given in the following pages, of 
the early years of Presbyterianism in New York 
City. Although technically the Brick Church rep- 
resents, not an offshoot from the original Presbyterian 
Church of New York, but an integral part of it as it 
existed until the division in 1809, so that the whole 
history from 1706, in full detail, might without im- 
propriety be included in the present work, it has 
seemed proper to take as a beginning the building of 
the first "Brick Church," and to leave the history of 
the earlier years to be recorded more fully by some 
future historian of *'The Old First Church," which, 
at the division, was created out of the congregation 
worshipping in the older edifice on Wall Street. 

It will be noticed by the reader as he proceeds, 
that there are many quotations for which no refer- 
ences are given. These are drawn from the manu- 
script minutes of the church, and it has seemed un- 
necessary to burden the pages with references to 
sources not accessible to the public, especially as the 
date of the event or declaration will serve to mark its 
place in the records almost as well as would an indi- 
cation of the volume and the page. 

A key to the abbreviated titles of the works most 
frequently quoted in the notes will be found at the 
beginning of the Bibliography.* A Chronology is 
given in an Appendix. f The personal records of 
the church from 1809 to the present, including 
marriages, baptisms, members, etc. — some ten thou- 
sand entries in all — are published in alphabetical 
order in a companion volume. 

* Page 497. 

t Appendix A, p. 513. 



PREFACE ix 

The author is glad of this opportunity to acknowl- 
edge the invariable kindness of the persons to whom 
he has turned for help in the preparation of this vol- 
ume, and especially of Mr. Charles H. Olmstead, 
clerk of session of the Old First Church, for cour- 
teous permission to use the ancient records in his 
custody; of Mr. Daniel Parish, Jr., the Rev. G. 
McPherson Hunter, the Rev. Theo. F. Burnham 
and Mr. Austin B. Keep, all of whom have opened 
to the author valuable sources of information ; of the 
officers of the New York Historical Society for per- 
mission to copy documents and pictures; of the 
Rev. George S. Webster, D.D., for placing at the 
author's disposal a large amount of material col- 
lected during many years, relating to the old and new 
churches of the Covenant; of Mrs. Samuel B. Jones, 
whose love for the Brick Church has led her to save 
for many years every allusion to it in the magazines 
and the daily press, and whose kindness in giving her 
whole collection to be incorporated into the Brick 
Church Historical Scrap-book has provided many 
important side-lights upon the events of the last three 
pastorates; and of the present clerk of the session, 
Mr. Hamilton Odell, who placed in the author's 
hands the notes made some years ago with a view 
to preparing a historical sketch of the church, and 
whose monumental service in keeping, with the ut- 
most accuracy, and in his own exquisite hand, the 
session records for almost forty-five years, places not 
only the present author but the whole church under 
a great obligation. Nor ought gratitude to remain 
unexpressed for the services performed by those who 
now rest from their labors. Among the men who. 



X PREFACE 

in the past, have patiently kept those records, with- 
out which no detailed history of the Brick Church 
could have been written, ought to be mentioned Mr. 
Daniel J. Holden, who acted as clerk of the trustees 
for nearly twenty years, and Mr. Thomas Egleston, 
who served in the same capacity for full that time, 
while old Mr. Horace Holden, faithful in all he under- 
took, was clerk of session for almost twice as long. 

The author takes a peculiar pleasure in recording 
that his mother, who lived to read only the first few 
pages of this history, collected for him some of the 
most interesting material included in the two chap- 
ters which deal with the period immediately before 
and during the Revolutionary War, 

Shepherd Knapp. 
New York, March IQth, 1908. 



Owners of the Brick Church History are requested to 
note in their copies tiie following corrections: 
Page IX, line 5 from bottom, /or forty-five read thirty-five. 
" 105, line 13 from bottom, de/ore called insert afterward. 
" 265, line 6 from top, /or site read sale. 
" 323, line 3 from bottom, /or William S. Oilman read 

Winthrop S. Oilman. 
" 417, line II from top, /or fourth r^a^ north. 

(Cut this out and paste it in your book) 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



PART ONE: IN THE OLDEN TIME 

CHAPTER I 

PAGE 

Wall Street Presbyterians: 1706-1765 3 

The New Minister. — Eariy History of the Presbyterian Church 
in New York City. — Condition in 1765. — John Rodgers. — 
His Youth. — His Early Ministry.— Call to New York. — 
A Revival Follows. — The Wall Street Church Inadequate. 

chapter II 

The New Church: 1765-1767 17 

Petition for Land. — New York in 1765. — "The Angular Lot." 
— The Grant. — Raising the Building Fund. — Appearance 
of the New [Church. — Its Name. — Right of Incorporation 
Denied. — The Collegiate Arrangement. — The New Church 
Congregation. 

chapter iii 

Colonial Days: 1768-1774 33 

Dedication Service. — The Church's Debt to Mr. Rodgers. — His 
Fitness for Leadership. — His Doctor's Degree. — The 
Church Prospers. — Departments of Work. — The Pastor: 
Public Worship and Visitation. — The Session: Discipline. 
— ^The Deacons and the Parish Poor. — The Church's Early 
Maturity. 

chapter iv 

"The Presbyterian Junto": 1752-1775 43 

Contemporary Political Affairs. — Seldom Alluded to in Session 
Minutes. — Attitude of New York Presbj^terians. — Of Dr. 
Rodgers. — Revolutionary Record of the Members to be 
Included in the Church's History. — Presbyterians in the 
Whig Club, 1752.— "The Triumvirate": Livingston, 
Smith, and Scott. — Alexander McDougal. — Presbyterian 
Leaders in the "Sons of Liberty." — Events on the Com- 
mon, 1765-1770. — McDougal's Arrest. — Presbyterians Out- 
voted in the Committee of Fifty-one, 1774. 



xii CONTENTS 

CHAPTER V 

PAGB 

In the Revolution: 1775-1783 58 

News of Lexington. — Presbyterians to the Fore. — Scott Backs 
up Marinus Willett. — Pastoral Letter of the General As- 
sembly, May, 1775. — Military Operations. — Colonel Lasher. 
— Scott Describes the City in November. — Church Life 
Broken Up. — Dr. Rodgers Meets General Washington, April, 
1776. — ^The Exodus. — Chaplain Rodgers. — Military and 
Civil Service of the New York Presbyterians during the 
War. — The Church in the Hands of the British. — Used as 
a Hospital. — Described, 1777. — Proposal to Restore it to 
Religious Uses, 1780. — Its Condition at the End of the 
War. 

chapter vi 

Restoration and Progress: 1783-1808 73 

Pastor and People Return, November, 1783. — Courteous Offer 
of Old Trinity. — Dr. Rodgers' Thanksgiving Sermon in St. 
George's. — The Church Restored and Opened, 1784. — Its 
Appearance in 1787. — Ground Rent Reduced. — Gifts. — 
Associate Pastors: Wilson, McKnight, and Miller. — Rutgers 
Street Church Founded, 1798.— Care of the Parish Poor. — 
Other Benevolences. — Support of the Church. — The Charity 
School.— Dr. MiUer on the Plaeue of 1798. 



chapter vii 
The Senior Pastor .... 95 

Controlling Influence of Dr. Rodgers. — His Appearance and 
Manners. — His Character. — His Preaching. — His Industry 
as a Pastor. — His Old Age. 



chapter viii 
The Separation: 1809 103 

End of the Collegiate Arrangement Foreshadowed, 1784. — The 
Change Firmly Opposed. — Favored by Associate Pastors. 
— Significant Action regarding Rutgers Street Church, 
1805. — A Fourth Presbyterian Church Created Indepen- 
dent, 1807. — Effect of the Object Lesson. — Steps toward 
Separation. — Plan Proposed. — Dr. McKnight Angry: Re- 
signs. — Plan of Separation Adopted, 1809. — First Brick 
Church Session. — The Deacons. — The Board of Trustees. 



CONTENTS xiii 



PART TWO: THE LONG PASTORATE 

CHAPTER IX 

PAGE 

The Call of Gardiner Spring: 1809-1810 .... 117 

Discouraging State of the Church. — Vain Attempts to Secure 
a Pastor. — A Humble Appeal for Help. — Mr. Spring 
Heard. — He Preaches in the Brick Church. — Immediately 
Called. — Accepts. — Presbytery Doubts His Orthodoxy. — 
He is Installed, 1810. — His Ancestry. — His Boyhood. — 
At Yale College. — Studies Law. — In Bermuda. — His Mar- 
riage. — Is Admitted to the Bar. — Decides to Become a 
Preacher of the Gospel.— At Andover. — To New York. 



chapter x 
The Temporalities: 1810-1850 131 

History of the Forty Years to be Told in Five Chapters.— First, 
An Account of Lands, Buildings, and Finances. — The 
Church.— Interior.— Pulpit.— Pews.-" Holiness to the 
Lord." — Lighting and Heating. — Exterior. — The Neigh- 
borhood.- Fence.— Steeple.— Fire of 1811.— The Lecture- 
room, 1810.— The New Chapel, 1832.— Churchyard.— 
Cemetery on Houston Street.— The Church's Income.— 
Purchase and Rental of Pews. — Treasurer's Reports. — Pew- 
rents Raised, 1817.— Pastor's Salary Increased, 1819.— Pro- 
posal to Reduce it Again, 1824. — Crisis in Board of Trus- 
tees, 1825.— Financial Condition in 1826.— In 1839.— 
Subscription for Paying Church Debt, 1841.— Treasurer 
again Reports a Balance, 1850. 



chapter XI 

Pastor and Theologian: 1810-1850 148 

Study of Church's Inner Life.— Gardiner Spring Sole Pastor 
throughout the Period.— Death of Dr. Rodgers, 1811.— 
Mr. Spring's Studies.— His Habits of Industry.— Methods 
of Sermon-writing.— His Love of the Work.— His Lofty 
Purpose. — Depression. — 111 Health. — Presbytery Still 
Doubts His Orthodoxy. — Material for Dispute. — Mr. 
Spring's Attitude Toward Hopkinsianism and Its Repre- 
sentatives. — His Freedom from Intolerance.— But Es- 
pecially within the Limits of Calvinism.— Essays, 1813.— 
Their Practical Character. — Sermons in Series. — First 
Visit to Europe, 1822.— Cholera Epidemic, 1832.— Second 
Visit to Europe, 1835.— Farewell Letter from the Church. 
—His Attitude in the New School Controversy, 1837. — 
His Publications. 



xiv CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XII 

PAGE 

Religion and Morals: 1810-1850 170 

Difficulty of Ascertaining Spiritual Conditions in a Past Age. — 
Services and Meetings. — In the Old White Lecture-room. 
— The Lecture. — The Prayer-meeting. — The Inquiry Meet- 
ing. — The Quarterly Meeting. — Admission to Membership. 
— Sunday Services. — Sacraments. — Music. — The Chorister. 
— Singing - school. — Musical Society. — Concerts. — Begin- 
ning of a Choir, 1822. — "The Asaph Association." — In- 
strumental Music. — Periods of Religious Awakening. — 
Summer of 1815. — "Something must be Done." — Revival 
Methods. — Visitation by Pastor and Elders. — Discipline. — 
Method of Procedure. — Penalties Imposed. — Offences: 
against Religion; against Morals. — Amusements. — Value 
of Discipline. — The Good and Faithful Members. — Mem- 
orable Individuals. 



chapter xiii 
The Schools: 1810-1850 203 

Sale of the Charity School Building. — Seabury Ely Employed. 
— The Lessons. — Support of the School. — State Aid. — 
The Lot on Augustus Street. — It is Forfeited. — Condition o 
School in 1814. — Rules. — Children Sent to Free School, 
1816. — Ryan Legacy, 1829. — Secularizing of Schools in 
New York. — Brick Church Abandons Secular Education. 
—Sunday-schools. — Their Early History in New York. — 
Brick Church Opens Two Schools, 1816. — Their Purpose. 
—First Sixteen Years.— In 1832.— The Teachers.— Con- 
stitution of 1833. — Character of Schools from this Time. — 
Sessions. — Lessons. — Library. — Anniversary. — An Outing 
Proposed. — The Session of the Chiu-ch Assumes the Man- 
agement, 1840. — Success of the Change. — Old Method 
Resumed by 1846. — Rewards. — Bringing in the Poor Chil- 
dren Once More. — Benevolences. — The Bamier from 
Dlinois. 



chapter xiv 

Missions and Benevolence: 1810-1850 231 

Collections for Poor and for Charity School. — Effect of Business 
Depression. — Annual Missionary Collection. — Occasional 
Offerings Recommence, 1818. — <jireatly Increase. — Multi- 
plicity of Appeals. — Systematic Benevolence Substituted, 
1838. — Five Annual Collections. — Success of the Change. — 
Part Played by Brick Church in Benevolent Organizations. 
— American Bible Society. — Movement for Sunday Observ- 
ance. — Young Men's Missionary Societies. — American 
Home Missionary Society. — Relation of Dr. Spring to the 
American Board. — The Presbyterian Boards: Brick 
Church Transfers Allegiance to Them. 



CONTENTS XV 

CHAPTER XV 

PAGE 

The Last Years on Beekman Street: 1850-1856 . 251 

Changed Character of Neighborhood.— In 1828.— In 1839.— 
Removal then Contemplated. — Second Attempt, 1847. — 
Crisis, 1850. — Meetings not Supported. — Lecture Moved 
Uptown. — Condition in 1856. — Meanwhile Colleague- 
Church Uptown Proposed, 1852. — Difficulties in Selling. — 
Restrictions in the Grant. — Rights of Vault- and Pew- 
owners. — Supreme Court Order Obtained, 1853. — Pro- 
posal of Auction by Church and City. — Attempt to Sell 
to United States, 1854-1855. — Offers from Individuals.— 
The Sale: Subject to Auction, 1856.— Church Held To- 
gether by Devotion to Dr. Spring. — His Salary Raised, 
1854. — Last Downtown Service. 



chapter xvi 
The Move to Murray Hill: 1855-1858 277 

New York in 1855. — Brick Church almost Buys on Thirtieth 
Street. — Twenty-third Street Considered. — A Few Urge 
Murray Hill. — Present Property Bought. — Its Former 
Occupant. — Condition of the Neighborhood. — Plans for 
Building. — Points of Agreement. — Points in Dispute. — 
The Finished Church.— Exterior. — Interior. — Reminders of 
the Downtown Building. — Pew-rights Adjusted. — The 
Dedication. 



chapter xvii 
Work Resumed: the Civil War: 1858-1863 ... 293 

Sunday-school had Been Reestablished in 1856. — Neighbor- 
hood Visited. — Need of Ministerial Assistance. — Dr. 
Spring's Proposal, 1855.— Dr. Hoge Called, 1859.— His 
Difficult Position. — His Reception. — His Popularity. — 
The Church Prospers. — Increased Benevolence. — Young 
Men's Association, I860.— The Eve of the War. — Dr. 
Hoge's Politics. — His Trying Situation. — Feelings of the 
Congregation. — Dr. Hoge's Plan of Action. — Causes of its 
Failure. — Prayers for the Confederate States. — Dr. Hoge 
Resigns, 1861. — Hard Feeling. — Later Views. — His Fare- 
well Sermon. — His Return to Virginia and His Death. — 
Dr. Spring's Attitude toward the South. — Regards Seces- 
sion as a Crime. — "The Spring Resolutions," 1861. — The 
Church's Loyalty. — Generous Sentiments. — Dr. Shedd 
Called, 1862.— Dr. Spring Failing.— Regard for Dr. Shedd. 
— He Resigns, 1863. 



xvi CONTENTS 



PART THREE: THE MODERN PERIOD 

CHAPTER XVIII 

PAGE 

"The Old Order Changeth": 1864-1875 .... 315 

James O. Murray Called, 1864. — Dr. Spring is Retired from 
Active Service. — His Part in the Reunion of Old and New 
Schools, 1869.— His Closing Years.— His Death, 1873.— 
Mr. Murray's Early Life.— At Andover. — His Character 
and Attainments. — His Interest in the Church Music. — 
A Quartette Introduced, 1866. — "The Sacrifice of Praise," 
1869. — Other Changes in Worship. — In Number of Serv- 
ices. — The Employment Society: Its Programme and 
Achievements. — The Children's Society. — Benevolences 
Reorganized. — Weekly Giving Tried, 1871. — The Spirit of 
the Church's Benevolence. — Statistics. 

CHAPTER XIX 

A Wider Horizon: 1857-1875 338 

Origin of the West Side Mission, 1857. — Beginnings of the Mis- 
sion Church, 1859. — Support of the Work. — Expansion. — 
The Brick Church Assumes Control, 1862.- The Lord's 
Supper at the Mission, 1865. — Subscriptions for a Building, 
1866. — Chapel Dedicated, 1867. — Christmas Festival. — 
Mr. Lampe. — Work of Mr. John E. Parsons. — Dr. Murray 
Resigns, 1875. — Earlier Appreciation of His Ministry. — 
^ Reasons for His Departure. — Letter from the Children. — 
Lasting Results of His Pastorate. 

CHAPTER XX 

A Minister from Abroad: 1876-1882 356 

The Parsonage, 1876. — Llewelyn D. Bevan called, 1876. — His 
Career in London. — His Expectations. — American Clergy- 
men in Public Affairs. — Miscalculations. — Pastoral Letter 
of 1878.— Work Among the Children. — The Young Men's 
Society. — The Second Sunday Service. — Pastoral Letter 
of 1879. — Debt-raising. — Growth of the Mission. — Prog- 
ress toward Self-support. — Dr. Bevan Resigns, 1882. — 
Subsequent Relations. 

chapter xxi 

Rejuvenated: 1882-1893 375 

Call of Henry van Dyke, 1882. — His Early Life. — Condition of 
the Church. — Revising the Roll. — Making the Church At- 
tractive. — The Preacher. — The Music. — Renovation of the 
Church Projected. — Death of Governor Morgan, 1883. — 
The Interior of the Church Transformed, 1883.— The Church 



CONTENTS xvii 



Renews its Youth. — Fear of Losing Dr. van Dyke, 1885. — 
His Conception of the Church's Mission. — "Affectionate 
and Unanimous" Letter of the Session. — A Second Resig- 
nation Averted, 1893. — Emphatic Resolutions. — Simulta- 
neous Enterprises: Evangelistic and Financial, 1885. — 
Stated Services of the Church. — Sermons. — Worship.— 
Hospitality to Strangers. — The Wednesday Evening Serv- 
ice. — Practical Activities.— The Sunday-school. — Added 
Organizations. — Benevolence. — The Sick Children's Aid 
Society and the Young People's Guild. — The Pastor's Aid 
Society. — Independence of the Chapel Desired. — Prob- 
lems Involved. — Christ Church Organized, 1888. — Wider 
Influence of the Brick Church Pastor. — His Ideal Realized. 
— Need of Endowment. 



chapter xxii 

The Church of the Covenant: 1862-1894 .... 405 

The Beginning, 1860. — War Time. — The Church Organized, 
1862.— The Building Erected, 1864-1865.— Character of 
the Church. — The Mission Sunday-school Opened, 1866. — 
Its First Quarters. — Its Spirit and Methods. — It is Pro- 
vided with a Building, 1871. — Dr. Prentiss Resigns, 1873. 
— His Character and Ministry. — Dr. Vincent Succeeds. — 
The Congregation in His Time. — The First Chapel Pa.stor, 
1875.— The Ideal of Self-support.— Dr. Mcllvaine Called, 
1888. — Chapel Pastor Made Associate, 1890. — Success of 
this Arrangement. — Affairs of the Church. — The Prayer- 
meetings. — Other Activities. — Strength and AVeakness. — 
The Problem. — Moving Population of New York. — A Pos- 
sible Expedient. — A Better Plan Provided. — Contemporary 
Situation in the Brick Church. — Union Proposed, 1893. — 
"A Com of Wheat." 



chapter xxiii 
Union and Affiliation: 1893-1900 432 

The Covenant's Proposal, 1893. — Chapel Becomes a Church, 
1893. — Legislative Action Required. — The Agreement, 
1894. — Legislature and Presbytery Act, 1894. — Success of 
the Union. — Double Pastorate Unsatisfactory. — Dr. Mo- 
Ilvaine Withdraws, 1896.— The Affiliated Churches.— 
Prosperity of the Covenant. — A Home Church. — Troubles 
of Christ Church. — Better Times. — The Sunday-school. — 
Social and Industrial Work. — The Boys' Club. — Mr. Farr, 
1897.— The Church House, 1898.— Prosperity of the Brick 
Church. — Benevolence. — Congregations. — Young Men. — 
Devotion to Dr. van Dyke. — He Accepts a Call to Prince- 
ton. — Aids in Finding His Successor. — The Debt of the 
Church to Him. 



xviii CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XXIV 

PAGE 

A Golden Year: 1900-1901 455 

Dr. Babcock Called, 1899. — Reasons for His Acceptance. — His 
Early Life. — In Baltimore. — First Sunday in New York, 
1900. — First Impressions. — His Message. — In the Pulpit. — 
The Man. — Personal Service. — A Busy Day. — Plans for 
Christ Church. — Relation to Affiliated Churches. — Mr. 
Farr at Christ Church, 1901. — The Men's Association. — 
Close of the Year. — Journey to Palestine. — Letters and 
Remembrances. — Dr. Babcock's Death. — Its Effect. — 
Memorial Gift. — The Session Minute. 



chapter xxv 

The Church of the Present: 1902-1908 .... 474 

A Friend in Need.— Call of Dr. Richards, 1902.— His Work in 
Plainfield. — He Accepts the Call. — Likeness to His Prede- 
cessors. — Individuality. — His Preaching. — The Open 
Church. — New Services. — Success of these Experiments. — 
The Music. — Work for Children. — In the Sunday-school. — 
In the Church of the Covenant. — At Christ Church. — New 
Buildings Planned. — Corner-stone Laid, 1904. — Buildings 
Opened, 1905. — Description of Them. — Effect upon the 
Work. — The Jesup Legacy. — A Review of the History. — 
Changes Without. — "Is the Church AUve?" — Comparison 
of 1767 with 1908.— The Result a Ground for Thankfulness 
and Hope. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 

I. Key to Abbreviations of Titles 497 

II. General Authorities 497 

III. Books Relating to the Brick Church . . . 499 

IV. Pamphlets Relating to the Brick Church . 502 
V. Manuscript Sources 509 

APPENDICES 

A. Chronology 513 

B. Ministers 516 

C. Elders 517 

D. Clerks of Session 519 

E. Deacons 520 



CONTENTS xix 

PAGE 

F. Trustees 522 

G. Presidents of the Board of Trustees . . . 524 

H. Treasurers 525 

I. Clerks of the Board of Trustees .... 526 

J. Superintendents of the Sunday-school . . . 527 

K. Sextons 528 

L. Ministers of the Church of the Covenant . 529 

M. Elders of the Church of the Covenant . . 530 

N. Deacons of the Church of the Covenant . 531 

O. Trustees of the Church of the Covenant . 532 
P. Original Members of the Church of the 

Covenant 533 

Q. Ministers of Brick Church Mission and Christ 

Church 535 

R. Ministers of Covenant Chapel and the Present 

Church of the Covenant 536 

S. Pew-owners of 1853 537 

T. Form for Admission of Members, 1829 . . . 539 

U. Order of Baptismal Service, 1866 542 

V. Order of Communion Service, 1875 .... 543 

W. Constitution of Sunday-school, 1833 .... 545 
X. Supreme Court Order, Regarding Sale of 

Beekman Street Property 547 

Y. Rules for Government of Christ Church Me- 
morial Buildings, 1905 548 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



The Brick Church on Beekman Street Frontispiece ^ 

OPPOSITE PAGE 

The old Wall Street Church 10 - 

Plan of New York City, 1767 20 - 

The Brick Church from the north-east in 1800, and view from 

same point in 1908 26 ' 

Brick Church relics 36 ' 

Ground-plan of the Brick Church on Beekman Street .... 76 

John Rodgers 98 

Facsimile of a letter of Dr. Rodgers 102 • 

Facsimile of the Call of Gardiner Spring 122 , 

Ground-plan of Brick Church, 1822 132' 

" Holiness to the Lord,''^ and interior of Brick Church on Beek- 
man Street, 1856 134 ' 

The Brick Church and Chapel on Beekman Street 140 , 

Gardiner Spring in his youth 148 / 

Gardiner Spring in his old age 166 '' 

Plan of burial vaidts on Beekman Street 262 < 

The Brick Church on Murray Hill 278 - 

Interior of the present Brick Church, 1858 286 

William J. Hoge 296 ^ 

William G. T. Shedd 310 x 

Last New School Assembly, outside of the Church of the Covenant 316 - 

James 0. Murray 320 / 

The Brick Church Mission Chapel 348 ^ 

Llewelyn D. Bevan 858 '' 

xxi 



xxii ILLUSTRATIONS 

OPPOSITE PAGE 

Henry van Dyke, 1892 378 ' 

Redecorated interior of the church 382 

East end of the interior, 1883 384^ 

The sewing school in the S. S. Hall on West Thirty-fifth Street . 394 '^ 

George L. Prentiss 406 

The Church of the Covenant 408 ^ 

Interior of the Covenant Chapel 414 -^ 

Marvin R. Vincent 416 

Interior of the old Church of the Covenant 418 -^ 

James H. Mcllvaine 424 " 

George S. Webster 434 

The present Church of the Covenant 444 

The Murray Kindergarten and the Lincoln Cadets .... 450 ' 

Henry van Dyke 452 ^ 

Present interior of the Brick Church 454 ^ 

Malthie D. Babcock 458 

James M. Farr 466 

Classes in basket-weaving and carpentry 470 

Classes in kitchen garden and cooking 472 • 

William R. Richards 478 - 

Choir rehearsal at the Covenant 482 

Children s room and kitchen, Christ Church Memorial House . 484 

Christ Church Memorial Buildings 486 

Interior of the present Christ Church 488 

Kiixdergarten at Church House door 490 ' 

Bowling alleys and library 492 



PART I 
IN THE OLDEN TIME 



CHAPTER I 

THE PRESBYTERIANS ON WALL 
STREET: 1706-1765 

" And from thence (we came] to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of 
Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days." — The 
Acts 16 : 12. 

" When we came to York,* we had not the least intention or design of preaching, 
but stopped at York purely to pay our respects to the Governor, which we did ; but 
being afterward called and invited to preach, as I am a minister of the gospel I 
durst not deny preaching, nor I hope I never shall, where it is wanting and desired." 
— Rev. Francis MAKEMiE.t 1707, "Memoirs of John Rodgers," p. 139, note. 

ON a Sunday morning toward the end of the 
year 1765, George III. being King of Eng- 
land, and Sir Henry Moore being Gov- 
ernor of His Majesty's Province of New York, the 
people of the First Presbyterian Church in New 
York City were assembled as usual in their place of 
worship on Wall Street, waiting for the service to 
begin. Their new minister, the Rev. John Rodgers, 
had now been with them for some weeks, so that the 
first curiosity regarding him was beginning to sub- 
side, and on this occasion no one was expecting that 
anything of special interest would occur, except that 
the new minister's sermons were found to be always 
interesting. But Mr. Rodgers had barely entered 
the church when attention was riveted upon him, for 
instead of proceeding to the clerk's desk below the 

* Nev? York. 

t The first minister to conduct an English Presbyterian service in New 
York City. 

3 



4 THE BRICK CHURCH 

pulpit, and there offering the introductory prayer, 
reading the Scriptures, and giving out the first 
Psalm, as had been the custom until this time, the 
minister was seen to mount to his pulpit at once and 
begin the service there. 

In spite of the severe decorum which prevailed in 
the congregations of that period, some slight commo- 
tion was evident — silk dresses faintly rustled, glances 
were swiftly exchanged, — for this matter of the 
proper place in which to open the service was one 
that had long been a subject of dispute. The major- 
ity of the congregation clung firmly to the old way, 
but some others had for many years urged this very 
change, which Mr. Rodgers, without consulting a 
single person, whether member or officer, had now 
suddenly introduced. 

Was it possible that in a state of absent-minded- 
ness he had unintentionally reverted to a custom 
made familiar to him in his former parish ? No, the 
firmness and composure with which he met the evi- 
dent surprise of the congregation at once dispelled 
that theory. It was plain that what he had done he 
had fully intended to do, and it is safe to assume that 
during the rest of that service not a few of the people 
were guilty of a certain inattention, through reflect- 
ing upon the probable consequences of Mr. Rodgers' 
action. Would the majority of the members, or the 
session whose wishes in the matter had not even been 
asked, require a return to the old custom, and gently 
but firmly counsel the minister to act in a less head- 
strong manner in the future ? Such a result seemed 
not unlikely. 

But as a matter of fact, nothing of the sort hap- 



ON WALL STREET 5 

pened. The subject was not even broached in ses- 
sion meeting, and the majority in the congregation 
could find no one incHned to voice their protest. 
Mr. Rodgers, in short, had correctly read the situa- 
tion. Regarding with distinct disapproval the con- 
ducting of the service from two places (probably 
because this savored of conformity to the Church of 
England usage), but perceiving at the same time that 
to stir up a church quarrel on such a matter of detail 
would be almost unpardonable, he decided that the 
bold method was the safest, and cut the Gordian 
knot at a stroke. His plan succeeded. There was 
dissatisfaction, of course. Some leading members 
privately expressed with considerable emphasis their 
disapproval of what Mr. Rodgers had presumed to 
do, "but such were the popularity and success of his 
ministrations," says the narrator of this incident, 
"and such his influence among the people, that the 
unpleasant feelings expressed on this occasion by 
these individuals were but little regarded by the body 
of the congregation, and soon entirely ceased to be 
manifested."* 

The somewhat picturesque glimpse which this 
anecdote gives us of the Wall Street minister at the 
beginning of his New York pastorate, introduces us 
in an appropriate way to the history of what is now 
known as "The Brick Church," for the origin of that 
church was directly connected with the settlement of 
Mr. Rodgers over the Wall Street congregation. We 
have but to follow through a few months more his 
work among the New York Presbyterians, in order 
to reach the definite beginning of the history which is 

♦"Rodgers Mem.," p. 179/. 



6 THE BRICK CHURCH 

to be related in this volume. But in order to under- 
stand what is to follow, we must first glance back- 
ward for a moment at the earlier history of the Pres- 
byterian Church in New York City and of John 
Rodgers, the minister who was to guide its destinies 
for nearly half a century. 

Presbyterianism in New York began in 1706 with 
the gathering in private houses of a few persons who 
desired to worship in the Presbyterian manner. In 
January of the following year the Rev. Francis 
Makemie passed through the city on his way from 
Virginia to Boston, and at the request of the few 
Presbyterians preached at the house of one William 
Jackson on Pearl Street. Lord Cornbury, the Gov- 
ernor, a bigoted High-churchman, endeavored by the 
use of force to put an end to this activity of dissent- 
ers, and Mr. Makemie was arrested and sent to jail. 
On the morrow he was examined, the followixig being 
a portion of the proceedings : 

*'Lord Cornbury. How dare you take upon you 
to preach in my government without license ? 

"Mr. Makemie. We have liberty from an act of 
Parliament, made the first year of the reign of Wil- 
liam and Mary, which gave us liberty, with which 
law we complied. 

"Lord C. None shall preach in my government 
without my license. 

"Mr. M. If the law of liberty, my lord, had di- 
rected us to any particular persons in authority for 
license, we would readily have obtained the same; 
but we cannot find any directions in said act of Par- 
liament, therefore we could not take any notice 
thereof. 



ON WALL STREET 7 

" Lord C. That law does not extend to the Ameri- 
can plantations, but only to England. 

*'Mr. M. My lord, I humbly conceive it is not a 
limited or local act ; and am well assured it extends to 
other plantations, which is evident from certificates 
of record of Virginia and Maryland, certifying we 
have complied with said law. 

"Lord C. The courts which have qualified these 
men are in error, and I will check them for it. You 
shall not spread your pernicious doctrines here.''^ 

Mr. Makemie, who was kept in jail for nearly two 
months, was at length tried by jury, and, to the cha- 
grin of the authorities, acquitted. Such was the be- 
ginning of New York Presbyterianism, uncomforta- 
ble, but on the whole, not inauspicious. 

After this there was, for a while, no settled pastor, 
but from time to time the ministrations of some 
travelling Presbyterian clergyman w^ere enjoyed, 
and occasionally services were held in the Dutch 
church on Garden Street (now Exchange Place) ; 
but there was little enough of outward permanence 
about the movement until 1716, when the Presby- 
terians called the Rev. James Anderson to settle per- 
manently among them. 

A letter written by Mr. Anderson to Principal Ster- 
ling of Glasgow, on December 3d, 1717, gives us an 
interesting view of the situation at that time. *'This 
place, the city of New York, where I now am," he 
says, "is a place of considerable moment, and very 
populous, consisting, as I am informed, of about 
three thousand families or householders. It is a 
place of as great trade or business (if not more now) 

* Quoted in "The Presbyterian Magazine" for January, 1851, p, 30. 



8 THE BRICK CHURCH 

as any in America. In it are two ministers of the 
Church of England, two Dutch ministers, one French 
minister, a Lutheran minister, an Anabaptist, and 
also a Quaker meeting. . . . Endeavors were used 
again and again by the famous Mr. Francis Makemie, 
Mr. McNish, and others toward the settlement of a 
Scots church in this city, but by the arbitrary man- 
agement and influence of a wicked high-flying gov- 
ernor, who preceded his excellency Brigadier Hunt- 
er, our present governor (may the Lord bless and long 
preserve him), that business has been hitherto im- 
peded, and could never be brought in a likely way 
to bear. 

"The last summer, I, being providentially here, 
and being obliged to stay here about business the 
matter of a month, at the desire of a few, especially 
Scots people, preached each Sabbath. Though there 
were pretty many hearers, yet these were not able 
and willing to do anything toward the setting for- 
ward such a work. A few there were willing to do 
their utmost, but so few that I had small grounds to 
suppose that anything effectual could be done. 
Some time before our last Synod, this small handful, 
with some few others that had joined them, came to 
the Presbytery of Newcastle [Delaw^are], desiring a 
transportation of me from Newcastle to New York, 
which the Presbytery referred to the Synod, then 
soon to meet. The Synod . . . transported me 
hither. 

**The people here who are favorers of our Church 
and persuasion, as I've told you, are but few, and 
none of the richest, yet for all I am not without 
hopes that with God's blessing they shall in a little 



ON WALL STREET 9 

time increase. Some are already come to live in the 
city, and more are expected, whose language would 
not allow them to join with the Dutch or French 
churches, and whose conscience would not allow 
them to join in the service of the English Church. 
The chief thing now wanting, in all appearance, with 
God's blessing, is a large convenient church to con- 
gregate in." * 

After two or three years, during which the Pres- 
byterians worshipped in the City Hall on the corner 
of Wall and Nassau streets, they succeeded in erect- 
ing a church building for themselves on the north side 
of Wall Street between Nassau and Broadway. 

The second pastor was the Rev. Ebenezer Pem- 
berton. f During his term the celebrated George 
Whitefield visited New York, and we read of his 
preaching in the Presbyterian church on Sunday 
evening, having in the afternoon preached "in the 
fields." This visit quickened and increased the 
congregation. They found it necessary to enlarge 
their church; and in 1750 they called a second min- 
ister, Mr. Alexander Cummings, to be colleague of 
Mr. Pemberton. 

The way of progress, however, was by no means 
altogether easy. Soon after this an obstinate dispute 
arose on the question of psalmody: Should Watts's 
imitation of the Psalms | be substituted for Rouse's, 
or, as it was commonly called, the "Old Scotch," 

* This letter was first printed in " The Presbyterian Magazine " for 
October, 1851 (pp. 480 ff.), having been copied from the original, preserved 
among the Wodson Manuscripts in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh . 

t He served from 1727 till 1754. 

t Some desired the version of Tate and Brady. See " Rodgers Mem.," 
p. 149. 



10 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Version ? * Before this burning question was set- 
tled, in the affirmative, both pastors had resigned, 
the church had spent two years in a vain attempt to 
find successors for them, and a part of the member- 
ship had seceded to form a separate church on Cedar 
Street. t Under the Rev. David Bostwick J peace 
and quiet were gradually restored. A few years later 
the Rev. Joseph Treat was made associate minister, § 
and after the death of Mr. Bostwick he continued to 
serve the church as colleague of the new pastor, who 
was the Rev. Mr. Rodgers, named at the beginning 
of this chapter. 

The generally auspicious outlook for the church 
at this time is described in one of the letters writ- 
ten in connection with Mr. Rodgers' call. "This 

* As late as 1789 some Presbyterians continued to be greatly exercised 
on this matter. In that year a Mr. Adam Rankin, of the Presbytery of 
Transylvania, addressed to the General Assembly a "Quere" whether it 
had not been "a great and pernicious error for the late Synod of New 
York and Philadelphia to permit the disuse of Rouse's Version and the 
substitution of that of Watts." The comment of the Assembly was as 
follows: " The General Assembly, having heard Mr. Rankin at great length, 
and endeavored to relieve his mind from the difficulty he appears to labor 
under, are sorry to find that all their efforts have been in vain; and there- 
fore only recommend to him that exercise of Christian charity toward 
those who differ from him in their views of this matter, which is exercised 
toward himself; and that he be carefully guarded against disturbing the 
peace of the Church on this head." ("Assembly Digest," p. 209.) 

t The Scotch Presbyterian Church now at Central Park West and 
Ninety-sixth Street. 

t Installed in 1755; died in 1764. 

$ The following information is contained in Sprague's "Annals" 
(Vol. Ill, p. 132, note): "Joseph Treat was graduated at the College of 
New Jersey in 1757; was a tutor in the college from 1758 to 1760; was 
licensed to preach by the Presbytery of New Brunswick in 1760; and 
retained his connection as pastor with the Presbyterian Church in New 
York till 1784, when, in pursuance of an application by the congregation, 
it was dissolved. In 1785 the Presbytery of New York report that they 
had, during the preceding year, dismissed Mr. Treat to the Presbytery of 
New Brunswick; but I find no further trace of him." 




From " Harper's Magazine." Copyright, 1908, Hurper \ Bn>! i. 

THE OLD WALL STREET CHURCH 



ON WALL STREET 11 

church," the session writes, "from small and de- 
spised beginnings has mightily increased in a few 
years by the kindness of God, and [is] now in the 
happiest union, though the members thereof are a 
collection from Scotland, Ireland, and many places in 
America, people of various education and circum- 
stances." The writers go on to express the fear that 
any disappointment of their desire to secure Mr. 
Rodgers might endanger this hard-won prosperity.* 

The man upon whom so much was thought to 
depend was at this time thirty-eight years of age.f 
His parents had in 1721 come from Londonderry, in 
Ireland, to Boston, where he was born, but when he 
was but a little over a year old they had again moved, 
to Philadelphia, and he was reared in that city. He 
appears to have been by nature a precocious child 
and was early concerned with the matter of religion. 
The rather sombre and ponderous narrative in which 
this part of his experience is described by his pious 
biographer would be oppressive to modern readers, 
but in it an anecdote has been preserved which more 
pleasantly, and yet quite as truly, reveals the boy's 
early religious development. 

It appears that, like the church which he was later 
to serve, he had come under the strong influence of 
George Whitefield. Many times, when this moving 
preacher spoke in Philadelphia, little John Rodgers 
was among his hearers and greatly impressed by the 
message that he heard. On one occasion, when 

*For period 1706-1765, see "Manuscript Hist.," pp. 1 ff; "Presb. 
N. Y.," pp. 3 if.; "Br. Ch. Mem.," p. 8; "Handbook of N. Y. Presby- 
tery," 1903-1904, pp. 13 /.; "Disosway," pp. 131 ff. 

t He was born August 5th, 1727. For the facts of his life, see " Rodgers 
Mem." 



12 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Whitefield was preaching, as he often did, from the 
Court House steps in Market Street, the boy, in his 
eagerness to hear, had pressed his way through the 
crowd until he stood directly beside the speaker, and 
as it happened was entrusted with the holding of a 
lantern for Mr. Whitefield's accommodation. " Soon 
after the sermon began," says the story, "he became 
so absorbed in the subject, and at length so deeply 
impressed and strongly agitated, that he was scarcely 
able to stand ; the lantern fell from his hand and was 
dashed in pieces; and that part of the audience in 
the immediate vicinity of the speaker's station were 
not a little interested, and for a few moments dis- 
composed by the occurrence." * 

It was not long after this time, we are told, and 
when he was but a little more than twelve years of age, 
that he came, as he hoped, to "a saving knowledge 
and acceptance of Jesus Christ," and entered upon 
the Master's service with devotion. He very early 
formed the purpose of entering the Christian minis- 
try and set about the definite task of preparing him- 
self for that work. He prosecuted his studies under 
various masters with great diligence, and in October, 
1747, in his twentieth year, he took his examinations 
for licensure, which he passed with more than usual 
approbation. 

Not until over a year later was he ordained and 

* "Rodgers Mem.," p. 14. Sprague, in his "Annals of the American 
Pulpit" (Vol. Ill, p. 154), adds: "Some time after he was settled in the 
ministry, Whitefield being on a visit to his house, Mr. Rodgers alluded to 
this incident and asked him if he recollected it. 'Oh, yes,' replied White- 
field, ' I remember it well, and have often thought I would give almost 
anything in my power to know who that little boy was and what had 
become of him.' Mr. Rodgers replied with a smile, 'I am that Httle 
boy.'" 



ON WALL STREET 13 

settled in a church, but that year was by no means a 
barren one. Obstacles which he experienced in Vir- 
ginia, due to the intolerance of the established clergy 
there, served only to increase his determination, 
while a few months spent in Maryland, which 
might have been passed in idle waiting, he turned 
to such good account that he afterward referred 
to these months as perhaps the most useful of 
his life. One incident at this time may serve to 
illustrate his strength of will and the determination 
with which he had entered upon his work. He was 
preaching one Sunday to a large congregation in 
the open air, when in the midst of the sermon he 
suddenly swooned, apparently without any warn- 
ing, and fell lifeless to the ground. AVhatever the 
cause of this alarming experience, it was more than 
an ordinary fainting-turn, for his friends, when they 
had gathered around him, supposed him to be dead, 
and were amazed, when, after some time, he returned 
to consciousness. " He arose with a little assistance," 
says his biographer, " walked into an adjoining wood, 
and in about half an hour returned and finished his 
discourse, resuming it, as his audience remarked, 
with the very word which was on his lips when he 
fell." His conduct is the more remarkable in that on 
the following Sunday the same thing happened and 
was met by him with the same indomitable spirit. 
Strangely enough, and most happily, the second 
occurrence was also the last.* 

On March 16th, 1749, he was ordained and in- 
stalled pastor of the Presbyterian Church at St. 
George's, Delaware. He had received calls fronx 

* "Rodgers Mem.," pp. 62-64. 



14 THE BRICK CHURCH 

four different churches. The one at St. George's was 
the smallest and feeblest, but having been assured 
that its very existence depended on his coming, he 
determined to make that church his choice. His 
ministry there, which lasted sixteen years, was 
blessed in every possible way. The church began at 
once to increase in membership and soon the building 
required to be enlarged. At a later time the people of 
the neighborhood so crowded to hear him that the 
church of another denomination was literally deserted. 

He was not only admired as a preacher, but re- 
spected and beloved as a pastor. \Mien we read the 
description of his annual calls upon the families of 
his church, w^e cannot but admire the thoroughness 
of his method, and still more their patience in sub- 
mitting to it. There are times when one is content, 
it must be confessed, to live in a less heroic age. On 
these occasions, we are told, "he called upon every 
member of the family to repeat a part of the Assem- 
bly's Catechism ; asked them a number of extempore 
questions on doctrinal and practical subjects in re- 
ligion; prayed with them; and gave a warm and 
pathetic exhortation." * 

His own people were not the only ones who valued 
him. He soon won the confidence and esteem of his 
brother clergymen round about, and was more and 
more sought to give counsel and to aid in the per- 
formance of important tasks. It was no wonder that, 
when in 1765 the Presbyterian Church of New York 
was seeking a colleague for Mr. Treat, the name of 
Mr. Rodgers should be mentioned. Indeed, ten 
years before this they had sought to bring him to 

* " Rodgers Mem.," pp. 88 ff. 



ON WALL STREET 15 

New York without success. This time their call was 
more effective, though for a while the result was in 
doubt. The people of St. George's were most re- 
luctant to part with him. He himself was deeply at- 
tached to them and to his work in that place. His 
Presbytery, before whom the call was laid, refused to 
decide, and referred the question to the Synod of 
New York and Philadelphia. It was only " after a full 
and patient hearing of all parties for near three days " * 
that a conclusion was reached by the Synod in favor 
of Mr. Rodgers' acceptance of the call to New York.f 
He and his family J were settled in their new 
home by July, 1765, and he was installed as pas- 

* " Rodgers Mem," p. 120. 

t Sprague, in his "Annals of the American Pulpit" (Vol. Ill, p. 157), 
says of Mr. Rodgers: " In the early part of the year 1765, he received two 
calls, one from the congregation in New York, then just vacated by the 
death of the Rev. David Bostwick, and another from a large and important 
Congregational Chmxh in Charlestown, S. C. Mr. Whitefield, who hap- 
pened to visit him about that time, gave it as his decided opinion that the 
indications of Providence were in favor of his removal, but was doubtful 
in which direction he ought to go. The question . . . was finally referred 
to the Synod. . . . His installation as pastor of the church in New York 
took place in September following. The installation sermon was preached 
by the Rev. James Caldwell of Elizabethtown." 

t He married September 19th, 1752, Elizabeth Bayard, who died 
January 20th, 1763. On August 15th, 1764, he married Mrs. Mary Grant, 
a widow. Interesting evidence of the manner in which he had made pro- 
vision for his wife, in the event of his own death, is provided by a docu- 
ment still in existence, having been handed down in his family to his 
great-grandson, Mr. Robertson Rodgers, who presented it to the author of 
this volume. This is a bond given by John Rodgers to the " Corporation 
for the Relief of Poor and Distressed Presbyterian Ministers, and of the 
Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers," for 
the annual i)ayment of seven pounds sterling during his natural life, in return 
for which his widow or surviving children were to receive " an annuity of 
thirty-five pounds current money." One of the conditions agreed to by 
him was, "That on the second marriage of the said John Rodgers and on 
every subsequent marriage of the said John Rodgers, he shall or will pay. . . 
the sum of seven pounds over and above the annual rate." To the bond are 



16 THE BRICK CHURCH 

tor * on September 4th following. He was cordially 
received by the Presbyterians of New York City and 
was soon hard at work with an ardor and devotion 
which began at once to show good results. Not 
many months had passed after his installation when 
a decided revival of religious interest was apparent. 
The church was crowded with worshippers; many 
were making serious inquiry about their religious 
obligations; and it could not be doubted that the 
Spirit of God was at work in the hearts of the people. 
As we now look back at that time from a distance of 
nearly a hundred and fifty years, we can know but 
little of what took place in the experience of the in- 
dividuals who were then led into the ways of the 
Christian life— their very names are now unknown to 
us,- — but that revival has left behind it one tangible 
memorial which in itself has proved to be not the 
least of the spiritual blessings of the city of New 
York. The thronging congregations which were 
gathered by Mr. Rodgers' ministry, were soon too 
large by far to be accommodated in the church on 
Wall Street. At the same time the enthusiasm that 
had increased the numbers of the Presbyterians had 
also increased their courage and their readiness to 
assume enlarged responsibilities. They determined 
that they must at once build a new church. 

attached receipts from the treasurer, the earliest of which is for the year 
1775; and at the end of the document are a number of notes in Dr. Rod- 
gers' own hand, of which the following are the earliest: "N. B. May 22d, 
1793, I, this day paid my annual subscription to the Widow's fund as ap- 
pears by the Treasurer's Rect and the Entry in his Books. John Rodgers." 
— "This I have done yearly & every year since the Year 1763 when I be- 
came a Contributor — and I also paid the sum of Seven Pounds extraordinary 
on my marriage to my present Wife. John Rodgers." 
* See Appendix B, p. 516. 



CHAPTER II 

THE NEW CHURCH : 1705-1767 

" And Araimah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And 
Pavid said, To buy the tiireshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord."— 
2 Samuel 24 : 21. 

"A decent Edifice Erected on this Spot, properly Enclosed in a pail fence, will be 
a Great Ornament to the Green." — Officer.^ op the Brick Church, " Minutes of 
the Common Council of the City of New York," Vol. VII, p. II. 

IN providing the new place of worship the first 
problem that presented itself was the securing 
of a suitable plot of ground. The Presbyterian 
Church owned no land that could be used for this 
purpose, and it would doubtless have been very 
difficult to raise sufficient money for the purchase of 
a site, but it was hoped that, if properly approached, 
the city authorities would come to the rescue. Ac- 
cordingly on February 19th, 1766, a petition* was 
drawn up, which plays so important a part in this 
history that it must be given in full. 

"To THE Worshipful the Mayor, Aldermen 
AND Commonalty of the City of New York, in 
Common Council Convened: 

"The petition of the ministers, elders, deacons, 
trustees, communicants and other members of the 
English Presbyterian Church of the City of New 
York, according to the Westminster Confession of 
Faith, Catechism, and Directory, and agreeable to the 

♦ See "Document No. 37." pp. 504-506. 

17 



18 THE BRICK CHURCH 

present Established Church of Scotland, humbly 
sheweth : 

"That while the church to which your petitioners 
belong has not unmeritedly been esteemed for the 
purity of her doctrines, her members, we would pre- 
sume to hope, have approved themselves good sub- 
jects and useful members of society; that by the 
blessing of Almighty God your petitioners have so 
increased in numbers, as at this day to constitute 
a very considerable part of the freemen, freeholders, 
and inhabitants of this flourishing city ; that although 
your petitioners are already possessed of a spacious 
and convenient edifice for the public service of Al- 
mighty God, and the administration of divine ordi- 
nances according to their wholesome and approved 
form of discipline and worship, yet, by their great 
and continual growth, that building is rendered alto- 
gether incapable of containing their congregation, 
and the cemetery too small for decent interment of 
their dead; that, urged by these necessities, your pe- 
titioners have lately cast their eyes around them in 
search of a convenient spot of ground for the erection 
of another church, and for supplying it with a ceme- 
tery; that in this survey the known and approved 
benevolence of the Honorable Board toward every 
Protestant denomination in this city, and its abilities 
to relieve the present necessities of our congregation 
could not fail to command its attention; nor will the 
distinguished generosity by which our brethren of 
Trinity Church were supplied with a large and con- 
venient burying-ground, of the free gift of this Hon- 
orable Board, nor the late grant of a number of lots 
to the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in this 



THE NEW CHURCH 19 

city, upon a reasonable rent, permit us to doubt of 
the success of this our application ; that, though your 
petitioners would not be thought to prescribe, yet 
upon the view of the several lots belonging to this 
Honorable Board, within the compass of the improved 
parts of this city, the angular lot adjoining to the 
ground lately called the Vineyard * and to the 
Green f appeals to your petitioners to command the 
preference, not only with a view to convenience, but 
what will doubtless ever merit the attention of this 
Honorable Board, the public ornament; that influ- 
enced by the latter, as a first motive, your petitioners 
beg leave to observe, that it will be necessary to keep 
open a cross street { between this piece of ground 
and the Vineyard, by which the angle being short- 
ened at its base, will be so much diminished as to 
contain of about six lots only, which your petitioners 
humbly conceive will be a compass too small, espe- 
cially if its disadvantageous form be considered, to 
contain a decent edifice and a suitalile cemetery; 
that therefore, should this Honorable Board conde- 
scend to relieve the wants of your petitioners, they 
would beg leave to suggest the necessity of an addi- 
tional piece of ground, with such convenience in 
point of situation and quantity, for the use of a ceme- 
tery, as to this Honorable Board shall seem meet, for 
which, as well as the angular lot above mentioned, 
your petitioners are freely willing to render to this 
Honorable Board a rent suitable to the circum- 
stances of their church, and to erect such an edifice, 

* "North-eastward of the Vineyard," is the fuller description given 
elsewhere. "Common Council," Vol. VII, p. 9. 
t The present City Hall Park. 
X This was the later Beekman Street. 



20 THE BRICK CHURCH 

as will contribute to public ornament. Your peti- 
tioners, therefore, humbly pray this Honorable Board 
to take their extreme necessities into your serious 
consideration, and to grant to them the aforesaid 
angle of ground for the erection of a new church, 
with an additional lot, suitable for a cemetery, sub- 
ject to such an annual rent to be rendered forever to 
the Honorable Board, as they, in their great wisdom 
and justice, shall think reasonable; and your peti- 
tioner shall ever pray, etc." * 

When it is realized that the "angular lot" so 
boldly, though respectfully, asked for is approxi- 
mately the land bounded to-day by Nassau and Beek- 
man streets and Park Row, one is inclined to regard 
with admiration and even with amazement the te- 
merity of the petitioners. But in truth their request 
was not so extraordinary as it sounds to us. In the 
first place, the relation of the authorities to the indi- 
vidual citizens and their personal interests was at that 
time much more paternal than at present, a condition 
that had its advantages as well as its drawbacks; and in 
the second place, the property in question had in 1765 
comparatively little value. It must be borne in mind 
that New York City at the time covered but a small 
area at the southern end of Manhattan Island. On 
the west side the region of houses had passed into the 
region of fields not far north of what is now City Hall 
Park. On the east, which was then the more pros- 

* The names of the petitioners were: Ministers; John Rodgers and 
Joseph Treat: Elders; William Smith, Garret Noel, Nathaniel McKinley, 
Peter Van Brugh Livingston, John Smith, and Thomas Jackson: Deacons; 
John Stevens and Peter Riker: Trustees; Thomas Smith, Peter R. Liv- 
ingston, Joseph Hallett, John Lashor [Lasher ?], Jr., William Smith, Jr., 
John Dunlap and John Morin Scott. 




Courtesy of Harper Brothers. 



NEW YORK IX 1767 
From Thomas A. Janvier's "In Old New York" 



THE NEW CHURCH 21 

perous portion of the city and the more fashionable, 
the houses extended somewhat farther, but in a north- 
easterly direction. Standing on the ground that was 
wanted for the new church and looking northward 
across the Green, one would have seen the poor- 
house (on the site of the present City Hall) and the 
City Prison (in later years the Record Office). Back 
of these he might have caught a glimpse of the 
barracks, but, except for these buildings, as far as the 
eye could reach was open country. In fact, the land 
desired was on the extreme northern edge of the city. 

At the same time it was sufficiently accessible, 
and what was more, the petitioners believed that 
there was a good chance of getting it. In this they 
were not disappointed. A committee of five was 
directed by the Common Council to confer with the 
representatives of the church and to report,* and 
there seems from the beginning to have been a dis- 
position to grant the request in substance, only the 
details being matter for further discussion ; for in the 
next communication from the church the petitioners 
say expressly that they "take very kindly the Speedy 
Attention Given by the Corporation to their Request." 

There was at first some doubt whether, instead of 

* For this and the following statements see "Common Council," Vol. 
VII, pp. 5 ff. Some items from the minutes of the Board of Aldermen, for 
the meeting at which the Presbyterian petition was received, and the one 
held the next week after, relating to the ferries on the East and North 
rivers, point out in an interesting way the primitive conditions of that 
time. We learn that there was but one ferry to Nassau (now Long) Island, 
a petition for a second one being rejected. It was ordered that after ad- 
vertising " in all the publick or weakly Gazzetees," the existing ferry should 
be farmed out "by Public Outcry to the highest Bidder." As to the 
means of reaching New Jersey, we learn that an exclusive grant of the 
right of ferriage across the Hudson from New York was given to one man, 
who agreed to keep in use three large boats and two small ones. 



22 THE BRICK CHURCH 

the lot petitioned for, another piece of land, de- 
scribed as "opposite the Old Wind Mill Spot," 
might not be made to serve the church's purpose. 
This the petitioners vigorously opposed, and some 
of their arguments are interesting, not only in them- 
selves, but in the light they throw upon the conditions 
of life in New York at that time. They urged that 
the land proposed as an alternative, and which lay 
near the juncture of the present Elizabeth and Hes- 
ter streets, was "too remote," that the streets leading 
to it were inconveniently narrow and would "prob- 
ably not be paved for many years to come," and that 
there would be danger to the proposed church from 
the small wooden buildings of that neighborhood. 
They therefore renewed their request for the lots ad- 
joining the Vineyard, on the ground that this land 
was "nearer the Inhabited Part of the City," and 
"more convenient to the Petitioners, as it will admit 
of an Easy Access at all times of the Yeare," and 
also because it was the choice most likely to improve 
the appearance of the city, "whereas," say they, "it 
is at Present Entirely Useless, or Rather a Nuisance, 
as it is now a Receptacle for all the Dirt and Filth of 
the Neighborhood." * They add, moreover, that an 
accurate measurement having shown the plot to con- 
tain the equivalent, not of six, but of nearly nine city 
lots, twenty-jfive by a hundred feet each,f it will be 
unnecessary to provide extra land elsewhere for a 
"Cymetery"; and finally they make an offer of 
forty pounds sterling ground-rent per annum. 

* "Common Council," Vol. VII, p. 11. 

t The property measured on its south-west side (Beekman Street), 152 
feet, on the south-east side, 200 feet, on the north-east side, 62 feet, and on 
the north-west side (toward the "Green "), 214 feet. 



THE NEW CHURCH 23 

The committee of the Common Council reported 
favorably upon the request of the petitioners in its 
entirety, and on February 25th, 1766, the Board con- 
veyed the "Vineyard lot" * to the ministers, elders, 
deacons, and trustees of the Presbyterian Church 
and to their heirs and assigns forever ("in considera- 
tion of the pious and laudable designs of the said 
parties") on condition that within a reasonable time 
they should "enclose the same within a good and 
sufficient fence, and either erect an edifice or church 
thereon, or on a part thereof, for the worship of 
Almighty God, or use the same, or a part thereof, 
for a cemetery or church-yard, for the burial or 
interment of the dead, and shall not appropriate, 
apply, nor convert the same at any time, forever 
thereafter, to private, secular uses," and also upon 
further condition of the payment of an annual 
ground-rent of forty pounds sterling. 

Several clauses in this grant were destined to cre- 
ate more or less discussion and even controversy in 
later years. The right of burial here given was made 
the basis of a claim upon the city in the next century; 
the meaning of the phrase "private, secular uses," 
proved, as we shall see hereafter, to be not as clear as 
was at first supposed, and especially the matter of 
the ground-rent demanded readjustment from time 
to time. 

The land for the new church was now provided, 
but the church itself was still a thing of the future. 
Mr. Rodgers set about the raising of the money for 
this purpose and soon proved that in this practical 

* Loosely so described, though the lots merely adjoined the "Vine- 
yard." See above, page 19. 



24 THE BRICK CHURCH 

department of his work he was as energetic and suc- 
cessful as in his spiritual ministry. For several 
months he went from door to door, literally collecting 
with his own hands the money needed for this pur- 
pose.* In after years he is said to have narrated 
many anecdotes of those days, describing sometimes 
the unexpected repulses and sometimes the agreeable 
surprises that he encountered. One incident of the 
latter sort has come down to us and is worth repeat- 
ing, for it makes us realize that the building of the 
church on Beekman Street was no mere business 
enterprise, but a labor of love. Mr. Rodgers with an 
officer of the church, in the course of his money- 
raising, called one morning at the house of a certain 
widow who had recently lost by death a dearly loved 
daughter, and who was known to be in very narrow 
circumstances. Little or nothing was expected from 
her, and indeed the two callers were loath to ask her 
for anything. Their reason for coming to her at all 
was that they would not hurt her feelings by seeming 
to overlook her, or to despise her little gift. They 
were, accordingly, amazed when, after she learned 
their errand, she brought and put into their hands 
a sum which for her was very large indeed. She 
could well spare it, she assured them, when they ex- 
pressed reluctance to take so much. It was money 
saved in former years; in truth, laid by to be her 
daughter's marriage portion. We need not be told 
that the good minister and his companion went out 
from that humble house with renewed courage for 
their difficult task. The other anecdotes of that 
soliciting tour have been forgotten, but when the 

* "Rodgers Mem.," pp. 181 ff. 



THE NEW CHURCH 25 

story of the Brick Church is retold from time to time 
the gift of this woman shall still "be spoken of for 
a memorial of her." 

Of the appearance of the new church on its com- 
pletion at the end of 1767,* we have very little direct 
knowledge, but there is no reason to doubt that, so 
far as the exterior was concerned, the main features 
were much the same as in pictures and descriptions 
that come down to us from about ISOO.f Without 
attempting at this time to describe the details of the 
building, we may with certainty say that, though 
much plainer and in many points less attractive, it 

* There is to-day, set into the outer wall of the present Brick Church, 
immediately south of the north entrance, a piece of brownstone, bevelled, 
with this inscription: 

P. V. B. Livingsto 
1767 

The author has been unable to gain any direct information in regard to it, 
but the date suggests, of course, that it was in some way connected with 
the building of the church on Beekman Street. Is it, perhaps, a fragment 
of the original corner-stone? A newspaper report of an address by Dr. 
Spring at his fiftieth anniversary in 1860, quotes him as saying that the 
original corner-stone was laid by Dr. Rodgers' "own hands, with those of 
Livingston." The conclusion to be drawn would appear certain, were it 
not that Dr. Spring has also stated ("Br. Ch. Mem.," p. 8), that this cor- 
ner-stone was laid in the fall of 1766. But what was his authority for this 
statement? Most probably the words of Dr. Miller ("Rodgers Mem.," 
p. 181), "the foundation of the new church was laid in the autumn of the 
same year," that is, 1766. "Foundation," it will be noticed, is the word 
used in this older record, not "corner-stone." Doubtless Dr. Spring made 
an erroneous, though natural, inference, and we may assume that the 
stone is a part of the original corner-stone laid by Dr. Rodgers and Peter 
Van Brugh Livingston in 17G7. 

t Except that, apparently, the steeple was not added till a later time, 
Noah Webster, in 1788, describes the church as "a genteel brick building, 
. . . with a steeple not finished." The following extract from the diary 
of Dr. Alexander Anderson, preserved in the New York Historical Society, 
suggests a possible date for the steeple's completion. "Jany 11th, 1794. 
Saturday Evening We had an alarm of ' Fire.' I believe it arose from trying 
the new Bell in the Brick Meeting, which gave an alarm to the other bells.'' 



W THE BRICK CHURCH 

was built in the same style as the present St. Paul's 
Chapel, which had been erected about two years 
before, and stood but a short distance away. The 
front was on what is now Beekman Street, so that 
the church almost had its back to the Green— looked 
at it over its right shoulder, as it were — a fact which, 
were it still standing to-day, when almost the whole 
city lies to the north of City Hall Park, would give it 
a singular appearance. The northern end of the 
church, however, was by no means neglected. The 
large colonial window in that wall was in excellent 
taste, and indeed in general it is evident that the 
promise to build a church which should be an orna- 
ment to the city, as set forth in the petition for the 
land, was by no means forgotten. The church, 
while it stood, was one of the truly admirable speci- 
mens of the city's architecture. 

One feature of the structure must be mentioned 
even if all others should be disregarded: it was built 
of brick. It has been assumed by some that on ac- 
count of this fact, and because the old church on 
Wall Street was of stone, the new structure was at 
once called the "Brick Church." This does not 
appear to be exactly the history of the name's origin. 
For a number of years after the church was built, in 
fact, till 1799, the session records speak of it consist- 
ently as the "New Church." There is evidence, it is 
true, that in popular usage the name Brick Church 
or Brick Meeting-House had been commonly em- 
ployed at an earlier time, but it certainly had no 
official standing until about the date that has been 
mentioned. At that time a third church had been 
completed, so that to call the building on Beekman 



I 





^! 



1 \qQ -'"' 




THE mUCK CHTRCH FKOM THE Nt )irrH-EAST IN ISOO 
Showing St. Paul's Chapel on the right 




\ IKW 1 i;i )\1 I III. > \ML !•( M \ I I \ l>,.()- 
Steeple of St. I'luil'.s in ilie i-eiiire 



THE NEW CHURCH 27 

Street "new" was no longer appropriate. In Eng- 
land, where the spirit of conservatism is strong, this 
difficulty would not have been regarded; the church 
would have continued to be called the "New Church" 
till the end of time, after the manner of New College, 
Oxford, which was founded in the year 1379, or the 
New Inn at Gloucester, which claims to be the oldest 
in the Kingdom. But it is interesting to observe that 
even as early as the end of the eighteenth century 
Americans were moved by the desire to keep up to 
date. The name "New" was surrendered to the 
younger organization on Rutgers Street, and the 
Brick Church assumed its present title. This, how- 
ever, took place as has been said, more than thirty 
years after the erection of the building, to which 
event we must return. 

The possession of the new land, and the invest- 
ment of a considerable amount of money in the 
building erected upon it, brought to the front once 
more a difficulty that had already existed for many 
years, and had caused the officers of the church no 
little concern. According to the law of the Province 
no charter of incorporation could be obtained by a 
Presb^ierian organization, a fact which made it ex- 
tremely difficult to hold property or to secure the 
payment of legacies. Attempts had been made as 
early as 1720 and repeatedly in the half century that 
followed* to secure these very necessary privileges, 
but without success, owing largely to the determined 
opposition of the vestry of old Trinity, who were re- 
luctant to share with others the privileges enjoyed by 
the Established Church. 

♦ See "Rodgers Mem.," pp. 135 ff., 140 ff., 166. 



28 THE BRICK CHURCH 

In 1730, fearing that those who were moved by 
this unfriendly spirit might take further advantage of 
their position, the Presbyterians determined to make 
their property safe by putting it into the hands of a 
body outside the jurisdiction of the colony. Accord- 
ingly, they conveyed it to a committee of the General 
Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The practical 
management, however, of the church's temporal 
affairs was, at this period, by common consent, en- 
trusted almost entirely to Dr. John Nicoll, a physi- 
cian of New York, whose devoted service to the 
church deserves to be gratefully remembered. After 
his death in 1743 the congregation appointed for this 
task a self -perpetuating committee of eight * gentle- 
men, who were called trustees, but whose obligation 
to the church rested, of course, on a moral, not a 
legal, basis. The trust, which was thus by necessity 
reposed in the faithfulness of individuals, was so far 
from being abused in any way that when, in 1762, 
the church acquired possession of a "parsonage- 
house," the cumbersome method of applying to 
Scotland was not resorted to, and the property was 
vested in private persons, members or officers of the 
church. 

This was the method by which it was proposed to 
hold the New Church on Beekman Street. It could 
not but be evident, however, that this plan was open 
to very grave objections as applied to such large in- 
terests as were now at stake, and spurred on by their 
increased necessity the church authorities made a 
new attempt to secure a charter. It was discovered 
that the Governor of the Province, Sir Henry Moore, 

* Increased to twelve in 1771. ("Manuscript Hist.," p. 16.) 



THE NEW CHURCH 29 

was favorable to their desire, but some doubt was 
raised as to his power to act in the premises, and a 
reference of the question to the Provincial Council, 
constituted as it then was, did not seem at all likely 
to help the matter. 

The officers of the church, therefore, in March, 
1766, addressed a petition to King George. The 
Privy Council, before whom it was laid by His 
Majesty, referred it in turn to the Board of Trade, 
whose President, Lord Dartmouth, the patron of 
Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, showed him- 
self a sincere friend to the petitioners and their cause. 
In spite of delays and discouragements, the request 
might have been granted at this time, had not the 
Bishop of London declared himself its enemy, ap- 
pearing twice before the board in opposition to it. 
The report to the King was unfavorable and the 
petition was rejected. 

It will be perhaps as well to trace at this time the 
further history of this matter. In 1774, when still 
another request for a charter was made, the concur- 
rence of the King, the Governor, and the Council 
was actually obtained, but the obstinacy of the 
King's Attorney in New York, who pigeonholed it, 
delayed action until the imminence of the conflict 
with Great Britain turned the minds of men in other 
directions. It was finally in 1784, when the War of 
Independence had been won, that the Legislature of 
New York passed an act to incorporate the churches 
af all religious denominations, allowing each of them 
to hold an estate of twelve hundred pounds sterling 
per annum gross revenue. The Presbyterians at once 
availed themselves of this law, appointing nine trus- 



30 THE BRICK CHURCH 

tees, and taking the name "The Corporation of the 
First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York." 
To this corporation the lands and buildings of the 
church were conveyed by the individuals, w^ho had 
until that time faithfully held and managed the 
property.* 

It will have been observed that in the building of 
the New Church no steps were taken toward creating 
a separate ecclesiastical organization. The so-called 
collegiate arrangement by which such a separation 
was made unnecessary, and which continued for 
forty years, should be clearly understood. The two 
congregations, on Wall Street and on Beekman 
Street, respectively, constituted one undivided church. 
The ministers belonged equally to them both, and 
preached alternately in the two churches on Sunday 
mornings. The second Sunday service was held in 
one church one Sunday, in the other the next. All 
the elders, deacons, and trustees were officers of the 
united congregations. The number of these officers 
was increased soon after the New Church was built, 
in order to enable them to cover the more extended 
field, but even then there was no such person as an 
elder of the Wall Street Church, or a deacon of the 
New Church: all belonged to both. From the very 
beginning, moreover, there was not, so far as the 
records show, the slightest indication that one of the 
congregations was in any way inferior or subordinate 
to the other, nor did there ever come between them, 
in any marked degree, the spirit of envy or of the 
selfish desire for power. The causes which finally 
ended the union lay, not in any failure of Christian 

* "Manuscript Hist.," pp. 17-20. 



THE NEW CHURCH 31 

charity, but in the inherent faults of the system. It 
was throughout a noble and truly Christian rela- 
tionship, and it set up an ideal which, as one observes 
with interest, the Brick Church of later years has 
striven once more to realize, not without success.* 

The strong feeling of unity and equality which 
existed, was no doubt produced at the beginning by 
the fact that the congregation of the New Church 
was taken bodily out of the Wall Street congregation. 
There existed no little nucleus of people who had 
been already worshipping separately in some sort 
of makeshift quarters at the north end of the town, 
and for whom the good people of the Wall Street 
district provided a decent place of worship. The 
good people of Wall Street themselves were the ones 
who lacked adequate quarters, and they provided the 
New Church for those of their own number who 
found it convenient to worship there, or who for any 
other reason were willing to make the change. 

At the same time it must be admitted that even 
from the start there was a certain observable differ- 
ence between the two congregations. For one thing, 
tested by the record of the charitable offerings made 
from year to year, the Wall Street congregation was 
the wealthier. This is in part explained by the 
probability that the younger rather than the older 
portion of the congregation moved to the New 
Church, both because they had not so deeply rooted 
an affection for the very walls and pews of the old 
building, and also because the young people prob- 
ably lived further uptown, in the region where the 
New Church stood. But there was another differ- 

* In its relation to its two affiliated churches. 



32 THE BRICK CHURCH 

ence also which was even more important than that 
of wealth or that of age. Either by accident or, more 
probably, by the drawing together of congenial per- 
sons, the strong Scotch and Irish element of the 
Presbyterian membership remained for the most 
part in the older church, while the New England 
element was largely transferred to Beekman Street.* 

It is not to be supposed that this difference of 
origin amounted to a sharp demarcation or that the 
diverse characteristics of these two classes, the con- 
servatism of the Scotch-Irish and the more demo- 
cratic spirit of the New Englanders, were obtrusively 
displayed by the respective congregations, but the 
difference existed and was bound to play its part in 
the subsequent history. 

* See "Br. Ch. Mem.," p. 153. 



CHAPTER III 

IN COLONIAL DAYS : 1768-1774 

"The pews were all immediately taken, and it soon became abundantly evident 
that the erection of an additional church was neither unnecessary nor premature." — 
"Memoirs of John Rodgers," p. 182. 

" As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto 
them who are of the household of faith." — Galatians 6 : 10. 

ON New Year's Day, 1768, the congregation 
assembled in the New Church for the first 
time and dedicated it to the service of God. 
Even the very imperfect picture of the scene that, 
by the help of the records, rises to our view is well 
worth looking upon. Members of all the represen- 
tative Presbyterian families are in the pews — Liv- 
ingstons, Broomes, McDougals, Ogilvies, Quack- 
enbosses. The clerk is in his desk and Mr. Rodgers, 
in gown and bands, with his full, curled wig upon his 
head, has ascended into his lofty pulpit. There he 
offers the introductory prayer, reads from the Script- 
ures and gives out the Psalm, not improbably the 
one hundred and twenty-second as being most ap- 
propriate for this occasion. 

" How did my heart rejoice to hear 
My friends devoutly say, 
'In Zion let us all appear, 
And keep the solemn day.' " 

Though we must guess at the Psalm, we have pre- 
cise information about the text of the sermon. It 

33 



34 THE BRICK CHURCH 

was taken from Haggai 2 : 7, "I will fill this house 
with glory, saith the Lord of hosts." The theme 
and spirit of the discourse, thus introduced, cannot 
well be mistaken. Although both minister and peo- 
ple had themselves given so freely and worked so 
faithfully to build the church, they were not per- 
mitted on that day to think of their own powers or 
their own success. The house belonged to God and 
its only real value must come through His blessing it 
and using it. The occasion was in itself impressive, 
and Mr. Rodgers was a preacher thoroughly capable 
of putting it to its best use. We are assured by those 
who listened to him through many years that his 
sermons were remarkable for their effect upon his 
hearers. He had the power to stir the emotions as 
well as convince the mind, and commonly, before he 
had concluded, both preacher and congregation were 
literally moved to tears.* 

But while we may well believe that on that day 
such a preacher drove home to the hearts of the 
people his message of the divine presence and power, 
we may believe, also, that as the congregation dis- 
persed after the service they were by no means un- 
mindful of the leading part that had been played in 
the creation of this New Church by Mr. Rodgers 
himself. They must have felt, too, that its future 
success would, under God, depend in no small meas- 
ure upon his continued energy and devotion. And we, 
also, if we are to understand the history of the church, 
must recognize at the outset the power of leadership 
in the pastor. 

We have already seen what manner of man he was 

* "Rodgers Mem.," p. 88. 



IN COLONIAL DAYS 35 

at the time of his call, endowed with a strong person- 
ality, one who might be confidently expected to take 
a commanding position in all the affairs in which he 
was concerned, and to lead them to a successful con- 
clusion. During his early years in New York he had 
continued to display these same qualities. His prompt 
settlement of the difference regarding the manner of 
opening divine worship, whether at clerk's desk or 
pulpit, has already been described, but another anec- 
dote may be added which reveals in a still more 
entertaining manner the forcefulness with which he 
exercised his authority. 

It seems that at one of the services a stranger had 
entered the church and had walked nearly the length 
of the aisle without being invited to a seat by any of 
those who occupied the pews. Mr. Rodgers, "from 
his pulpit watch-tower," as the narrator describes it, 
saw clearly what had happened and chose an unex- 
pected way to remedy it. His house-servant, a negro, 
was at that time the sexton also. To him Mr. Rod- 
gers called out in a loud voice, "Frank, show the 
gentleman to my seat." We are told that this broad 
hint to the congregation had an instantaneous effect, 
and that so many pew doors flew open as to make 
the stranger's choice among them almost embarrass- 
ing. The noteworthy thing about such incidents as 
these is not that they should have occurred, but that 
the minister who ventured to make his points in such 
a direct and unconventional manner, carried his 
congregation with him, as Mr. Rodgers indisputably 
did. A weak man, acting so, would soon have been 
disliked as a meddler, but in Mr. Rodgers the strength 
of genuine leadership w^as recognized by everybody, 



36 THE BRICK CHURCH 

and his bold strokes, whether in great or in small 
matters, were justified by their success. 

Even at this early date his reputation was by no 
means local only. On December 20th, 1768, he re- 
ceived from the University of Edinburgh the degree of 
Doctor of Divinity,* at that time a most extraordinary 
honor for an American clergyman, and rendered 
doubly significant in his case by the fact that Dr. 
Benjamin Franklin had been sufficiently interested 
to write from London the commendatory letter 
which led to the granting of it. Dr. Rodgers was at 
this time only forty-one years of age. 

But we must return to the history of the New 
Church itself. The pews, we are told, were all im- 
mediately taken, showing that the forming of a second 
congregation had been no mistake. The list of pew- 
holders must, however, have included a considerable 
number who were not communicants, for we learn 
from a list of the united congregations, drawn up at 
this time, that there were in all three hundred and 
ninety-one members, allowing only about two hun- 
dred to each church. 

It would appear that the part which the Christian 
laymen of those days were expected to take in the 
church activities was very limited, a striking con- 
trast to the ideal of the present time. Besides living 
Christian lives, their duty was practically confined 
to attending public worship and contributing to the 
church collections. None of the societies, which to- 
day form a natural part of the machinery of every 

* The diploma conferring this degree is now in the possession of the 
Brick Church, having been presented by Dr. Rodgers' great-grandson, 
Mr. Robertson Rodgers. 




BRICK CHURCH RELICS 
Diploma from Edinburgh University conferring degree of D.D on John Rodgers. 2. Pocket cal- 
udar of Dr. Rodgers, with entries of marriage fees. 3. Dr. Spring's sand-bo.x (old-time substitute 
or blotting paper). 4. Brick from the Brick Church on Beekman Street. 5. Breastpin made from 
vood of the Beekman Street steeple. 6. Manuscript of sermon preached by Dr. Rodgers at close of 
levolutionary War. 7. Sermon-case of Dr. Rodgers, worked in colored crewels. 8. Pnnted form 
f sermon shown in No. 6. 



IN COLONIAL DAYS 37 

church, had then been conceived of, and it is espe- 
cially noteworthy that the women had not begun any 
active or organized work, such as in later times has 
so greatly added to the church's usefulness. 

In a word, the work of the church was carried on 
by its officers. The ministers, of course, conducted 
the public worship and administered the sacraments; 
and theirs for the most part, was the work of visiting 
the families of the parish; the session busied itself 
especially with the matter of church discipline; and 
to the deacons was committed the administration of 
the benevolences. We may examine the work of the 
New Church, during the first seven or eight years of 
its existence, under this threefold division. 

The public services of the church were not many 
in those days, little more than half as many as at the 
present time, but it is to be presumed that they were 
a good deal longer, and that in them a much larger 
proportion of time was devoted to the sermon or the 
lecture. The congregation on Beekman Street 
assembled every Sunday morning and on alternate 
Sunday afternoons. Four times in the year the 
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered, 
apparently on the first Sundays of March, June, 
September and December. It is indicative of the 
close personal oversight given to individual mem- 
bers in those days, that in order to partake of the 
Communion it was always necessary to obtain in 
advance a sort of certificate of good standing. To 
those members who were deemed worthy of it — and 
the judgment was a strict one — this certificate was 
given in the form of a "token," evidently either a 
metal voucher or a ticket. These, we know, were 



38 THE BRICK CHURCH 

applied for in person at a fixed time in advance, for 
in the session records we read of being "directed to 
attend for receiving a token for admission to the 
Lord's Supper." Only those who presented tokens 
were allowed to receive the sacrament. 

We are not informed whether at first there were 
week-day meetings held at the New Church. We 
know that among the Presbyterians at this time 
there was a weekly class for the instruction of chil- 
dren in the shorter catechism, and a public lecture on 
the catechism on Thursday evenings,* at which the 
doctrinal exposition was followed by an earnest 
practical application. There were also private asso- 
ciations for prayer established in different localities. 
But it is uncertain whether any of these week-day 
meetings was at the beginning actually held in the 
New Church. We must remember in this connec- 
tion that Beekman Street is but a short distance 
from Wall Street. 

By Dr. Rodgers the work of visiting the people of 
the congregation was most thoroughly and persist- 
ently performed. We know already the methods he 
had employed in his former parish, and these he 
continued in New York. 

The work of the minister and elders meeting as 
the session of the church is very fully preserved in 
the minutes of that body, so that we are able to say 

* This was started by Dr. Rodgers soon after coming to New York, and 
was originally intended for the older children. It was open, however, to 
all who chose to attend, and the room was usually filled to overflowing by 
people of all ages. Dr. Rodgers frequently, in later years, expressed his 
belief that these Thursday evening lectures had been more signally blessed 
to the spiritual benefit of his people than any other part of his ministra- 
tions. ("Rodgers Mem.," p. 17G.) 



IN COLONIAL DAYS 39 

with certainty what the nature of it was and how 
thoroughly it was done. They regularly passed upon 
the worthiness of all persons who desired to be ad- 
mitted to church membership, and once a year they 
received and examined the financial report of the 
deacons; but the distinctive occupation of the ses- 
sion at this time was the uncongenial work of church 
discipline, for, to an extent, now utterly unheard of, 
the private morals of the individual members of the 
church were then investigated, corrected, and con- 
trolled. Delinquents, or suspected persons, or per- 
sons accused of wrong-doing by other members, were 
summoned by formal citation to appear at session 
meeting, and there their conduct was thoroughly 
sifted. At times the examination was so extended as 
to amount to a formal trial, witnesses being exam- 
ined at great length, and the full testimony being re- 
duced to writing. Not only was judgment pro- 
nounced upon offenders whose wrong-doing had 
already become a public scandal, but the attempt 
was made to discover and check, before it was too 
late, every sort of evil in the conduct of the members 
of the church. Not infrequently, on the other hand, 
the investigation ended in a complete acquittal, and 
it is apparent that in at least some of these cases the 
accused person had been most forward to bring the 
case before the session, as a means of silencing un- 
just or malicious attacks, without resorting to law. 

During the period with which we are at present 
occupied the session, it must be remembered, be- 
longed not to the New Church alone, but to the two 
united congregations, and we have no means of 
ascertaining when the recorded acts of discipline 



40 THE BRICK CHURCH 

had reference to New Church people. It will, 
therefore, be best to defer the more full and serious 
discussion of this part of the church's life till we 
come to the time when the New Church had a session 
of its own. A passing reference may, however, be 
made to the curious and sometimes (in spite of the 
serious occasion) amusing passages which the sub- 
ject of discipline has introduced into the records 
of this reverend body. It is certainly odd to turn 
over page after page in which is discussed the fate of 
a red-and-white handkerchief supposed to have been 
stolen, or of "a pair of speckled silk stockings of a 
bluish cast," that had similarly disappeared. You 
may read, in the handwriting of the session clerk, 
the momentous history of a certain blue cloth cloak, 
and how the material of it was afterward identified 
with great certainty, although transformed into a 
"surtout and a pair of trousers." Or you may even 
learn at the mouth of an apparently friendly witness 

that Mrs. "loved a little Small Beer dashed 

with Rum every Day to refresh Nature whenever she 
had Money to buy it." And, by the way, the verdict 
of the session in this particular case is interesting for 
its very moderate severity. They did not decide in 
so many words that the accused had been guilty of 
intemperance, but only went so far as to aflSrm that 
she had "given too much grounds to suspect her of 
too great a fondness for Strong Liquor." 

Upon the shoulders of the deacons rested the 
whole work of caring for the poor of the church. 
And this is the same thing as saying that they admin- 
istered the whole of the church's benevolences, for in 
those days no collections were taken and no money 



IN COLONIAL DAYS 41 

was given through the church for any other benevo- 
lent purpose than to supply the needs of the parish 
poor. The Church of Christ had not yet awakened 
to her duty and her power as the organizer and sup- 
porter of every sort of religious and philanthropic 
enterprise. 

The money which the deacons distributed in 
alms was received in the offering made at each Com- 
munion Service, known as "table money," and also 
in a special offering taken in connection with an 
annual "Charity Sermon," which in the New Church 
was preached usually on the second Sunday after- 
noon in December, In this special offering from 
twenty to thirty pounds sterling was given annually, 
and about an equal amount was received from the 
four communion offerings together.* The entire 
sum was annually divided among the deacons, who 
attended personally to the distribution of it, and 
reported upon their work to the session at the end of 
the year. 

One is impressed, in this brief review of the first 
years of the New Church, by the air of maturity to 
which it almost immediately attained. Sharing as it 
did from the beginning the whole history and experi- 
ence, and all the methods, customs, and traditions of 
the older church of which it was an integral part, it 
seems almost to have had no youth. As soon as the 
stir which accompanied the provision of land and 
building had passed, the church life appeared to 
settle at once into a placid middle age of routine use- 

* On one occasion at least (in 1773), the deacons endeavored to increase 
their ability to aid the poor by investing in two lottery tickets, showing 
that the moral objections to the lottery were not felt by them in that 
period. 



42 



THE BRICK CHURCH 



fulness; and, so far as its own internal affairs were 
concerned, it might have so continued indefinitely. 
But there were outside factors to be reckoned with, 
through which the second period of the New Church's 
history, beginning in 1775, was destined to be any- 
thing but serene and uneventful. Political affairs, 
even during the seven years studied in this chapter, 
were clearly moving toward a crisis, in which the 
church would inevitably be involved, and we must 
now turn back to study these contemporary events. 



CHAPTER IV 

"THE PRESBYTERIAN JUNTO": 1752-1775 

"The early and just alarm our country took at the measures pursued by the 
British Court towards us strongly points us to the watchful care of a kind Providence 
over us."— John Rodgers, "The Divine Goodness Displayed in the American 
Revolution," p. 12. 

"When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, 
Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman. Then the chief captain came, 
and said unto him. Tell me, art thou a Roman? And he said. Yea. And the chief 
captain answered. With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But 
I was free born."— Ac<s 22 : 26-28. 

THAT little or nothing should have been said 
until now about the affairs of the country 
at large, at the time when the New Church 
was founded or during the first years of its existence, 
must appear strange and perhaps neglectful; for the 
period was, of course, a momentous one. The epi- 
sode of the Stamp Act was still fresh in men's minds 
when the church on Beekman Street was projected, 
and throughout the succeeding years the clouds of 
threatened conflict with the mother country were 
becoming more and more ominous. Indeed, so ab- 
sorbing were the political questions of the period that 
one can but wonder how men at the same time found 
energy for starting and maintaining a new church. 
It can be explained only on the assumption that 
those colonial Presbyterians did really seek first the 
kingdom of God. 

Why, then, it will be asked, since political ques- 
tions were at the time of such absorbing interest, has 

43 



44 THE BRICK CHURCH 

no mention of them been made until we have almost 
reached the outbreak of the Revolution ? This 
question may, perhaps, be best answered by asking 
another. Why is it that the church's own records 
maintain an almost unbroken silence in regard to the 
momentous events of the years before the war ? For 
such a silence they do indeed maintain. Between 
1768 and 1775 the minutes of the session contain but 
two important references to current politics. In 
October, 1770, when Lord Dunmore arrived from 
England to take the office of Governor of the Prov- 
ince, and again in July, 1771, when Governor Tryon 
succeeded him, the officers of the church presented 
addresses of welcome; and in both of them, it is 
noticeable, loyalty to King George was most une- 
quivocally expressed.* Beyond these two allusions 
the records have nothing to say about current events. 

This silence, however, was very far from indicat- 
ing that the members of the church were indifferent 
to the problems and conflicts of the time. Abundant 
evidence will presently be adduced to show that they 
were not only intensely interested but highly influen- 
tial in the events that led to the Revolution. The 
silence means rather that the church itself, as an 
institution, took no formal part in the conflict. 

It was neither necessary nor proper that it should 
do so. The principles of religion were not involved, 
and there were, of course, good Christians on both 

* For this they have, by Tory sympathizers, been accused of insin- 
cerity, for many of these very men were ardent and active patriots, pledged 
to resist every encroachment upon their hberties. But at this time they 
refused to beUeve that insistence upon their rights would end in a break 
with England. On the contrary, they conceived themselves more loyal 
to the true England than were the so-called loyalists. 



I 



"THE PRESBYTERIAN JUNTO" 45 

sides. Even within the Presbyterian Church of New 
York, although the large majority of its members 
were of the patriotic party, there were also a number 
who, by sympathy and conviction, belonged to the 
other side. Indeed, it was one of the melancholy re- 
flections of the time that in the event of a resort to 
arms, the very men who had joyfully united in 
building the New Church and who, under its roof, had 
together received the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, 
might soon be fighting in opposite armies. There was 
every reason, therefore, why the church, as a church, 
should not take active part in the conflict, and why 
its records should make little reference to the events 
which were dividing men into two opposing camps. 
At the same time it was, of course, impossible that 
a church, which after all w^as but a collection of indi- 
viduals, should preserve an actual and absolute 
neutrality. Even though the majority made no at- 
tempt to commit the church oflScially to the political 
views which they themselves held as individuals, 
there was no disguising the fact that the majority 
was decisive, or that when a Presbyterian congrega- 
tion assembled — in the New Church, for instance — 
it was likely to include leading spirits among the 
New York patriots. It was well known that if 
war came, and if the British occupied New York, 
as they would certainly try to do, the New Church 
would be closed for want of a congregation. When 
we add to this that Dr. Rodgers, whose sermons and 
prayers from Sunday to Sunday could hardly have 
been quite colorless, was "an early and decided 
friend to American independence," * it becomes 

* "Rodgers Mem.," p. 206. 



46 THE BRICK CHURCH 

evident that, to say the least, the Tories who at- 
tended a Presbyterian service must have felt some- 
what lonely. There is on record at least one Tory 
protest * against petitions offered by Dr. Rodgers in 
public worship in which, with great distinctness, he 
asked a blessing upon the cause of American liberty. 
He continued to pray loyally for the King also,t 
but that did not affect his views, or the views of the 
congregation, on the subject of American rights. In 
short, that the New Church, as a whole, belonged 
distinctly to the party whose first, and controlling 
determination was to uphold and maintain American 
liberties — by peaceable metliods, if possible, but by 
force, if at last no other way were found — there was, 
and could be, no real doubt. 

Our immediate concern, however, is not with the 
church as a whole, but with the individual Presby- 
terians of whom the church was composed. Our 
present object is to ascertain what was the relation of 
these individual church members to the thoughts and 
doings of the time, first during the years that led up 
to the Revolution, and afterward (in the next chap- 
ter), during the Revolution itself. For while the per- 
sonal affairs of iuviividual members would commonly 
lie beyond the scope of this history, there are special 
reasons why an exception should be made in regard 
to the service rendered by the officers and members 
of the Presbyterian Church in New York during the 
Revolutionary period. % 

* Jones "N. Y. in Rev.," Vol. II, p. 4. 

t "Rivington's Gazette," January 12th, 1775. 

X It should be noted that in what follows no separation is attempted 
between members of the Wall Street and members of the New Church 
congregations. We possess, in fact, no means of distinguishing between 



"THE PRESBYTERIAN JUNTO" 47 

In the first place, although, as we shall see, the 
institutional life of the church completely ceased 
soon after the war began, public worship being per- 
force discontinued and the whole machinery of the 
church's work coming to a stand-still — even the 
building being soon in the hands of the enemy — never- 
theless the church life did not come to an end. It 
was interrupted only. It was immediately renewed 
as soon as the opportunity arrived. And the contin- 
uity between the new and the old was preserved by 
the fact that the old members took up again the new 
work. In them the church had remained alive. In 
them the spirit, which animated the church both 
before and after, lived through the war; and we 
cannot properly understand the church's history, its 
interruption or its renewal, unless we are more or 
less familiar with the record of the men whose hearts 
were her tabernacle in the period of exile. 

But there is a still clearer reason for regarding 
their personal conduct in the war as a part of the 
church's history. Their contemporaries very gener- 
ally believed that there was a direct and vital con- 
nection between their Presbyterian faith and their 
republican politics. In New York, in those days, if a 
man was known to hold to the one, it was assumed, 
almost as a matter of course, that he held to the other 
also. In the literature of the day, and especially 

them, for no separate lists are in existence. We must rest content, there- 
fore, with the assumption that a fair proportion of those whose service is 
mentioned in the text belonged to the New Church. Mr. Daniel Lord, in- 
dee i (in the "Br. Ch. Mem.," p. 153,), claims that in the Revolution the 
New Church was the more democratic and "patriotic," the Wall Street 
Church the more Tory and "conservative," but we possess no contem- 
porary evidence to prove this. 



48 THE BRICK CHURCH 

among the Tories, you will frequently find the word 
Presbyterian used almost as though it had a dis- 
tinctly political significance. 

Of course, this means chiefly that in practical ex- 
perience Presbyterian patriots were found to be 
noticeably common, and also, on the other hand, 
that at least in New York City, the loyalists were 
observed to be most often members of the English 
Church. For this there may have been some merely 
superficial reason, or it may be that the representa- 
tive form of government, which is characteristic of 
Presbyterianism, had exerted a direct influence 
upon the political views of its members. But what- 
ever the cause, the fact is that Presbyterians had 
come to be closely identified with outspoken devo- 
tion to colonial liberty. 

As early as 1752, a club had been formed in New 
York called the Whig Club, in which we may discern 
the beginnings of an organized resistance to British 
aggression, and in it the three most prominent mem- 
bers, William Livingston, William Smith, the younger, 
and John Morin Scott, — "the Triumvirate," as they 
were called, — besides others less active, were closely 
identified with the Presbyterian Church. Livingston 
was a member, while Smith and Scott, though not 
on the list of communicants, were trustees. Judge 
Jones, indeed, the loyalist historian, states incor- 
rectly that they were all Presbyterians by profession 
and uses that statement to explain their activities on 
the side of "anarchy and confusion." 

These three men were all of good family. The 
name of Livingston was one of the most highly 
honored in the province. William Smith was the son 



"THE PRESBYTERIAN JUNTO" 49 

of a prominent member of the New York bar.* 
John M. Scott was a descendant of the baronial 
family of the Scotts of Ancram, Scotland.f They 
were all lawyers, and had been educated at Yale 
College, another cause of their perversity, thinks the 
loyalist, who describes the New Haven institution as 
"a college remarkable for its persecuting spirit, its 
republican principles, its intolerance in religion, and 
its utter aversion to Bishops and all earthly Kings." 
"A nursery of sedition, of faction, and of republican- 
ism," he calls it elsewhere. | 

These three able men had early devoted them- 
selves to the cause of liberty, and had already won 
a certain position as leaders, when the Stamp Act, in 
1765, at length aroused the people to decisive action. 
Livingston, Smith and Scott were then the organ- 
izers in New York of the '*Sons of Liberty," that 
patriotic society which sprang up everywhere, to 

* Fiske in "The Dutch and Quaker Colonies in America" (Vol. II, p. 
285), says: "This William Smith, son of the accomplished lawyer in the 
Zenger case, was himself one of the few literary men of the province, the 
author of a 'History of New York to the Year 1732,' which is sturdy and 
racy, but so full of partisan bitterness that Smith himself admits it 'de- 
serves not the name of history.' As literature, however, it has decided 
merits." 

t The following is from the diary of John Adams, afterward second 
President of the United States. The date is Monday, August 22d, 1774: 

"This morning we took Mr. McDougal into our coach and rode three 
miles out of town to Mr. Morin Scott's to breakfast. Mr. Scott has an 
elegant seat there, with Hudson's River just behind his house and a rural 
prospect all around him. Mr. Scott, his lady and daughter, and her husband, 
Mr. Litclifield, were dressed to receive us. We sat in a fine, airy entry till 
called into a front room to breakfast. A more elegant breakfast I never 
saw, — rich plate, a veiy large silver coffee-pot, a very large silver teapot, 
napkins of the very finest materials, toast and bread and butter in great 
perfection. After breakfast a plate of beautiful peaches, another of pears, 
and another of plums, and a muskmelon were placed on the table." 
("Works of John Adams," Vol. II, p. 349.) 

X See Jones "N. Y. in Rev.," pp. 3, 5. 



50 THE BRICK CHURCH 

voice the instantaneous opposition of the colonists to 
the hated tax. So largely were the Presbyterians 
represented in this organization that in New York it 
was known, we are told, as "The Presbyterian 
Junto." * 

In the opinion of their opponents, the Sons of Lib- 
erty were a group of hot-headed rebels, eager, on the 
slightest provocation, to sever connections with the 
mother country. As a matter of fact, the idea of 
separation was, at this time, repugnant to all of 
them, and w^as destined, as it gradually came to the 
front, to find them by no means of one opinion. 
The strikingly divergent careers of the three leaders, 
for instance, in whom as Presbyterians we are espe- 
cially interested, well illustrates this. 

Livingston, together with his ardent love of liberty, 
showed a strong conservative tendency. No one was 
more staunch than he in his insistence upon the 
rights of Americans, but he most decidedly desired 
to maintain those rights by such means as would 
avoid anything bordering upon revolution. As 
events developed, we find him one of those who with 
reluctance perceived that loyalty to America and 
loyalty to England were incompatible; one of those, 
therefore, whose leadership, when in the crisis he did 
come out strongly on the patriot side, was felt to be 
peculiarly trustworthy, free as it was from the in- 
fluence of hasty passion. His honorable career in 
New Jersey, whither he moved in 1773, and where 
he held the offices, first of General of Militia and 
afterward of Governor, was proof of the confidence 
he inspired. 

* Bancroft's "Hist, of the U. S.," Vol. IV, p. 326. 



'^THE PRESBYTERIAN JUNTO" 51 

William Smith was also a conservative. To him, 
too, the break with England, toward which the 
advancing patriotic sentiment gradually pointed, 
was a thing by all means to be avoided. From a 
choice between the two allegiances he most decidedly 
shrank. But in his case the result of this attitude 
was a state of uncertainty and vacillation at the 
crucial moment which left him in an unenviable po- 
sition. Up to a certain point, all had gone well with 
him. When Washington took command in New 
York in April, 1776, Mr. Smith put his house at the 
General's disposal, and after the occupation of the 
city by the British he was found among the patriots 
at some distance up the Hudson. But he could not 
remain in hearty sympathy with those who were now 
entering into open conflict with England. When 
called upon to take the new oath of loyalty, by which 
he would cease to be a British subject, he declared 
himself unable to do so. He w^as therefore ordered 
to leave the patriot territory and returned to New 
York, "forced out of his inglorious neutrality," as 
the patriots expressed it.* In their view, it was no 
time for a nice balancing of opinions. Though sus- 
pected in much the same way by some of the loyal- 
ists, he was received by the British authorities and 
was later made Chief Justice of New York, and 
after the war he held the same ofiice in Canada. Yet 
at the beginning of the agitation and, indeed, down 
to the actual outbreak of the war, the cause of liberty 
found in him a strong and able supporter. So long 
as the opposition was to the British ministry, but not 
to Great Britain herself, he was a willing leader in it. 

* "Pennsylvania Packet," September 15th. 



5^ THE BRICK CHURCH 

John Morin Scott, on the other hand, was natu- 
rally of a bolder and more aggressive temperament 
than either Smith or Livingston, and, as the history 
proceeds, is found to ride ever upon the crest of the 
advancing wave, his eloquent tongue putting courage 
into many who were waiting only for a determined 
summons. We shall hear much more of him as we 
proceed. 

From the period of the Stamp Act, Scott was ably 
supported, and, indeed, at length surpassed in en- 
ergy, by another man of the same type — Alexander 
McDougal. He, also, was a Presbyterian, not only 
an attendant like Scott, but a communicant; the 
men of three generations in his family were members 
of the Presbyterian Church. In his case we have a 
man of poor and obscure origin, one whose sympa- 
thies were by experience, as well as from conviction, 
with the people. We are told that he had followed 
the sea in his youth, starting as a boy before the 
mast and ending his nautical career as captain of a 
vessel. At a later period he had built up a good 
business as merchant in New York. In short, he 
was a man of parts, and when the occasion called, he 
soon rose to the top.* 

There were among, the Sons of Liberty, and at 
first influential among them, men still more radical, 
such as Isaac Sears; but none of these having been 

* Of both Scott and McDougal John Adams, in his journal for the year 
1774, gives an estimate. Of the ability of both he speaks in high terms; 
"sensible," he calls them, by which, no doubt, he means that their political 
views coincided more or less closely with his own. Personally he found 
McDougal the more acceptable, speaking especially of his openness: "he 
has none of the mean cunning which disgraces so many of my country- 
men." Of Scott he says, bluntly, that he was "not very pohte." (John 
Adams "Works," Vol. II, pp. 345-347.) 



"THE PRESBYTERIAN JUNTO" 53 

Presbyterians, we are not concerned to follow their 
fortunes. Scott and McDougal, who did represent 
the Presbyterian congregations among the more 
ardent patriots, were, moreover, of more importance 
in the final issue. Though they, also, were certainly 
passionate in their love of liberty, impatient of the 
counsels of prudence and compromise and often sus- 
picious of those who offered them, inclined to violent 
utterance, and clamorous for decisive action, they 
did not, like Sears, for instance, get completely out of 
touch with the moderates. When at length the issue 
was clearly defined, they and the moderates were found 
acting again together as they had at the very outset. 
Meantime these more radical patriots played a part 
whose importance can hardly be overestimated. It 
is not too much to say that except for their constant 
and spirited agitation, and especially their organiz- 
ing of the common people and voicing of the popular 
demands, the strong loyalist element in New York 
might easily have gained control of the situation. 
The conservatives, even when they rejected the 
definite proposals of "the Presbyterians," were 
themselves supported and emboldened by the 
popular enthusiasm which "the Presbyterians" had 
aroused. 

The Stamp Act went into effect on October 31st, 
1765. The next day the inhabitants of New York, at 
the call of the Sons of Liberty, came together in in- 
dignant meeting on the Common. During the pre- 
ceding years, and still more in the stirring years that 
were to follow, the Common * was New York's rec- 

* It will be remembered that this open space then included not only 
the present City Hall Park but the site of the post-office. 



54 THE BRICK CHURCH 

ognized place of popular meeting. When there was 
need of givmg expression either to great indignation 
or to great rejoicing, the Common was invariably the 
scene of the demonstration. It was on the Common 
that, at critical junctures, the will of the people was 
made known in no uncertain tones to obstinate gov- 
ernors or timid committees. In short, this open 
space at the north end of the city was, as has been 
well said, the Faneuil Hall of New York. 

Now, directly adjoining the Common, it will be 
remembered, was the land which, in February, 1766, 
was secured for that New Church whose history we 
are tracing. The same men who, out there on the 
Common, were making American history, were here, 
on the "Vineyard lot," building their Presbyterian 
Church. It is agreeable to know that the same 
staunch qualities were going into both enterprises, 
and to be thus reminded that the patriots owed much 
to their Presbyterianism and the Presbyterians 
much to their patriotism. The walls of the New 
Church, rising while the American nation was com- 
ing into existence across the way, and her windows, 
looking quietly, — one might say approvingly, — at 
the momentous events which there ushered in the 
Revolution, may be taken as fitting symbols of the 
part which the church, as a living force in the hearts 
of her members, played in the events of those mem- 
orable years. 

One might almost tell the rest of the story of this 
period under the title "What the New Church Saw 
from the Edge of the Green." First, there were the 
battles about the Liberty Pole, a flag-staff originally 
erected at the great rejoicing over the Stamp Act's 



"THE PRESBYTERIAN JUNTO" 55 

repeal, and designed to carry a j3ag inscribed "The 
King, Pitt, and Liberty." That was in June, 1766. 
Every few weeks, from that time on, the pole would 
be cut down by the soldiers, who acted as agents of 
the alarmed and outraged loyalists, and immedi- 
ately restored by the indomitable Sons of Liberty. 
The fourth pole was standing when the New Church 
was dedicated. Its life was longer than that of its 
predecessors, but when it finally fell in January, 1770, 
the church witnessed a great commotion: three 
thousand angry and determined citizens assembled 
on the Common to devise means of overwhelming 
the pestilent soldiery and the still more hated power 
behind them. 

In all these doings the Presbyterians, McDougal 
and Scott, had been leaders. In February, 1770, a 
very foolish attempt was made by the exasperated 
authorities to rid themselves of McDougal, by 
charging him with the authorship of certain alleged 
libels that had recently appeared. As might have 
been expected, his popularity increased vastly with 
persecution. While imprisoned in the New Gaol (on 
the Common), he was so besieged by callers that he 
was forced, or humorously gave out that he was 
forced, to set an hour for visits, namely, "from three 
o'clock in the afternoon till six," A notice to this 
effect was inserted in the newspapers. 

Because of a similarity to the case of John Wilkes, 
in England, among whose followers the number 
"45" was used as a sort of watchword, the press 
accounts of McDougal's prison life were given in 
such arithmetical form as the following: "Yesterday, 
the 45th day of the year, 45 gentlemen . . . cordial 



56 THE BRICK CHURCH 

friends to Captain McDougal and the glorious cause 
of American liberty, went in decent procession to the 
New Gaol, and dined with him on 45 pounds of 
beefsteak, cut from a bullock 45 months old,* and 
with a number of other friends, who joined them in 
the afternoon, drank a number of toasts expressive, 
not only of the most undissembled loyalty, but of the 
warmest attachment to liberty, its renowned advo- 
cates in Great Britain and America, and the freedom 
of the press." f The prisoner was indicted and 
tried, but finally, for lack of evidence, was discharged 
after an imprisonment of several months. 

In 1774, when the conflict was rapidly nearing, 
McDougal still held his place among the mass of the 
people as hero and leader, but many of the more con- 
servative patriots were beginning to fear the effects of 
his headlong enthusiasm. The question had plainly 
arisen whether he and others like him should seize 
the entire control of the movement, or should rather 
play the part of inspirers and energizers, while the 
helm was held by more cautious hands. 

A committee of fifty (afterward fifty-one), chosen 
by the inhabitants of New York on May 16th, 1774, 
in response to certain proposals from Boston on the 
subject of the importation tax, included men of all 
types, and in it the contest between conservatives and 
radicals began at once. The conservatives, as it 
proved, were in the majority. When, in July, John 
M. Scott and Alexander McDougal were nominated 
as delegates to the General Congress, they were de- 

* Judge Jones, in his account of this episode, gives, among the donations 
to the prisoner, " From the two Presbyterian Parsons, Rodgers and Treat, 
45 lbs. of candles." 

t "N. Y. Journal," February 15th, 1770. 



I 



"THE PRESBYTERIAN JUNTO" 57 

feated, and the committee chose instead a group of 
moderates and loyalists. 

The people were greatly dissatisfied with this, and 
with other acts of their representatives. On July 6th 
they met in great numbers on the Common, "the 
Great Meeting in the Fields," it was afterward 
called. Alexander McDougal presided and the 
action taken was an emphatic rebuke to the committee 
of fifty-one. For several days the contest raged, 
but without a decisive issue at that time. The chosen 
delegates, having made a solemn profession in writing 
of their devotion to liberty, were finally accepted by 
the people; but the real differences, which the inci- 
dent revealed, remained as a problem of the future.* 
It was no doubt wise that a moderate policy should, 
at that juncture, prevail, though the protestors were 
right, as events proved, in their suspicion that many 
of the moderates were men who, in the last division, 
would choose the side of Great Britain against the 
Colony. At the same time, the best men in the mod- 
erate party, and happily those who gained and held 
control in it, were true patriots, seeking in their more 
cautious way the same great ends to which Scott 
and McDougal and their comrades were devoting 
themselves with noble and unselfish enthusiasm. 

* Among the Presbyterians who, at this time, were active in urging 
and voicing the popular protests were McDougal, Scott, Joseph Hallet, 
P. v. B. Livingston, and John Broome. Mr. Livingston is described by 
John Adams, in 1774, as "a sensible man and a gentleman. He has been 
in trade, is rich, and now lives upon his income." ("Works," Vol. II, 
p. 351.) 



CHAPTER V 

IN THE REVOLUTION: 1775-1783 

" Little did we think of sticti an event as tiiis. when we began the strugple for our 
Invaded privileRes. The prowing injustice of the British Administration — their 
accumulated injuries — opened it upon us. and forced us into the measure, as the 
only alternative to save our oppressed land. It was this or the most abject slavery. 
A dread alternative, indeed, . . . but which an all-ROverninK Providence has wisely 
overrule*! for our salvation." — John Rodgeiw, "The Divine Goodness Displayed in 
the American Revolution." p. 11. 

"If thy people po out to battle apainst their enemy, whithersoever thou shall 
send them, and shall pray unto the Lord, toward the city which thou hast chosen, 
and toward the hou.se which I have built for thy name: then hear thou in heaven 
their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause." — 1 Kings 8 : 4i f. 

ON Sunday, April '-2'3(1, 1775, when the stirring 
news from Lexintjjton reached the city, the 
inadequacy of tlie conservative poHcy be- 
came suddenly evident and, for a time, the sway of 
the ardent })atriot.s an:ain increased. A party of 
them under the leadership, we are told, of Peter R. 
Livingston, a Presbyterian, seized at once upon a 
sloop loaded wilji lumber for the barracks in Boston 
and threw the cargo into the harbor, the people at 
the same time being urged to arm them.selves by an 
attack upon the arsenal. In the meeting of His Maj- 
esty's Council at the house of the Lieutenant Gov- 
ernor, that afternoon, William Smith, of whom we 
read in the last chapter, took the position that the 
excitement then prevailing was general throughout 
the city, and that it was not without due cause in the 
obstinate injustice of the British Ministry. He op- 

68 



IN THE REVOLUTION 59 

posed strongly the purpose of the extreme loyalists to 
call out the militia and read the riot act. 

The most definite evidence, however, of the re- 
newed influence of the more pronounced patriots, is 
found in the abandonment of the old " Committee of 
Fifty-one" at this time, and the selection by the in- 
habitants, on May 1st, of a new committee of one 
hundred. The conservative element was still strongly 
represented in it, but the proportions of influence 
had been somewhat changed. The committee de- 
clared its resolve, in the most explicit manner, to 
stand or fall with the liberty of the Colonies, and at 
its first meeting, held without delay, a motion, 
offered by Scott and seconded by McDougal, was 
passed, providing for an association which should 
engage, by all the ties of religion, honor, and love 
of country, to submit to the Colonial Congress, to 
withdraw support from British troops, and at risk 
of lives and fortunes to repel every attempt at enforc- 
ing taxation by Parliament. 

Nine at least of the Committee of One Hundred 
were Presbyterians,* and five of these f were among 
the twenty-two delegates selected to meet deputies 
of the other counties in the Provincial Congress on 
May 22d. The contemporary loyalist historian, | 
describing the reception tendered at this time to the 
delegates sent from New England to the second 
Continental Congress, as they passed through New 
York on their way to Philadelphia, speaks in the 
bitterest terms of "the Presbyterian faction" who 

* p. V. B. Livingston, McDougal, Scott, Joseph Hallet, Thomas Smith, 
John Broome, Samuel Broome, John Lasher, John White, 
t The first five in the above list. 
I Judge Jones. See Jones "N. Y. in Rev," 



60 THE BRICK CHURCH 

took the lead in the matter. He gives a list of them, 
which includes their two ministers, Rodgers and 
Treat, besides most of the others with whom we are 
now familiar. He tells us that the escorting com- 
pany of grenadiers was commanded by John Lasher, 
the Presbyterian shoemaker ("of the lowest extrac- 
tion," he adds) and he ends by classing all these 
persons with "other fomenters and demagogues of 
rebellion." Yet in spite of these uncomplimentary 
remarks, it is certain that these men were now tak- 
ing more and more a position of command in New 
York. 

In June, John Morin Scott appeared in a pict- 
uresque incident not without significance.* The 
British soldiers, whose position in New York after 
Lexington was anything but comfortaljle, were 
leaving the city by permission of the Committee of 
One Hundred, when it was observed that they were 
taking with them a cartload of extra arms. Marinus 
\Yillett, a patriot, endeavored to stop them, on the 
ground that the committee had not authorized this 
act, but he found a strong supporter of the soldiers in 
another bystander, no less a person than Mr. Gou- 
verneur Morris. At this point, Scott liaj)pened to 
make his appearance, himself "an infiucutial mem- 
ber of the committee," says Willelt, in his narrative 
of the event, and one "whose reputation for talents 
was as great as any in the city." Taking in the 
situation at a glance, he exclaimed in a loud voice, 
" You are right, Willett; the committee have not given 
them permission to carry off any spare arms," and in 
spite of Mr. Morris, the wagon was turned into a 

* "New York in the Revolution," p. 03. 



IN THE REVOLUTION 61 

side street, while the soldiers proceeded without it 

to the wharf. 

It was a time of curious confusion m which these 
New Yorkers were then Uving. Regiments of sol- 
diers were being raised by the colonists for a pur- 
pose that could not be disguised, while the very 
men active in this work claimed, and with per- 
fect sincerity, that they were loyal subjects of Kmg 

George. i • j i 

No clearer evidence of this could be desired than 
the Pastoral Letter which was issued by the Presby- 
terian General Assembly, sitting at New York about 
a month after the battle of Lexington. It deserves 
the more a place in this history because Dr. Rodgers 
served on the committee of two ministers and four 
laymen who prepared it. After a long opening ex- 
hortation, it proceeds to "offer a few advices to the 
societies under our charge, as to their public and 
general conduct." 

" First. In carrying on this important struggle, let 
every opportunity be taken to express your attach- 
ment and respect to our sovereign. King George, 
and to the revolution principles by which his august 
family was seated on the British throne. We rec- 
' ommend, indeed, not only allegiance to him from 
duty and principle, as the first magistrate of the em- 
pire, but esteem and reverence for the person of the 
prince who has merited well of his subjects on many 
accounts, and who has probably been misled into 
the late and present measures by those about him; 
neither have we any doubt that they themselves have 
been in a great degree deceived by false information 
from interested persons residing in America. It 



62 THE BRICK CHURCH 

gives us the greatest pleasure to say, from our own 
certain knowledge of all belonging to our communion, 
and from the best means of information of the far 
greatest part of all denominations in the country, 
that the present opposition to the measures of admin- 
istration does not in the least arise from disaffection 
to the King or a desire of separation from the parent 
state. . . . We exhort you, therefore, to continue 
in the same disposition, and not to suffer oppression, 
or injury itself, easily to provoke you to anything 
which may seem to betray contrary sentiments. Let 
it ever appear that you only desire the preservation 
and security of those rights which belong to you as 
freemen and Britons, and that reconciliation upon 
these terms is your most ardent desire." 

The rest of this document, also, is so clear an 
exposition of the attitude of Presbyterians at the be- 
ginning of the war that the quotation may properly 
be extended. The letter proceeds as follows: 

*' Secondly. Be careful to maintain the union 
which at present subsists through all the Colonies. 
Nothine: can be more manifest than that the success 
of every measure depends on its being inviolably 
preserved, and therefore we hope that you will leave 
nothing undone which can promote that end. In 
particular, as the Continental Congress, now sitting 
at Philadelphia, consists of delegates chosen in the 
most free and unbiased manner by the body of the 
people, let them not only be treated with respect and 
encouraged in their difficult service, — not only let 
your prayers be offered up to God for his direction 
in their {)roceedings, — but adhere firmly to their res- 
olutions; and let it be seen that they are able to 



IN THE REVOLUTION G3 

bring out the whole strength of this vast country to 
carry them into execution. . . . 

*' Thirdly. We do earnestly exhort and beseech 
the societies under our care to be strict and vigilant 
in their private government, and to watch over the 
morals of their several members. It is with the ut- 
most pleasure we remind you that the last Conti- 
nental Congress determined to discourage luxury in 
living, public diversions, and gaming of all kinds, 
which have so fatal an influence on the morals of the 
people. ... As it has been observed by many emi- 
nent writers that the censorial power, which had for 
its object the manners of the public in the ancient 
free states, was absolutely necessary to their contin- 
uance, we cannot help being of opinion that the only 
thing which we have now to supply the place of this 
is the religious discipline of the several sects with re- 
spect to their own members; so that the denomina- 
tion or profession which shall take the most effectual 
care of the instruction of its members, and maintain 
its discipline in the fullest vigor, will do the most 
essential service to the whole body. . . . 

"Fourthly. We cannot but recommend and urge 
in the warmest manner a regard to order and the 
public peace; and, as in many places during the 
confusions that prevail, legal proceedings have be- 
come difficult, it is hoped that all persons will con- 
scientiously pay their just debts, and to the utmost 
of their power serve one another, so that the evils 
inseparable from a civil war may not be augmented 
by wantonness and irregularity. 

"Fifthly. We think it of importance at this time 
to recommend to all of every rank, but especially to 



04 THE BRICK CHURCH 

those who may be called to action, a spirit of hu- 
manity and mercy. Every battle of the warrior is 
with confused noise and jrarments rolled in blood. 
It is impossible to appeal to the sword without being 
exposed to many scenes of cruelty and slaughter; 
but it is often observed that civil wars are carried on 
with a rancor and spirit of revenge much greater 
than those between independent states. The inju- 
ries received, or supposed, in civil wars, wound more 
deeply than those of foreign enemies. It is there- 
fore the more necessary to guard against this abuse 
and recommend that meekness and gentleness of 
spirit which is the noblest attendant upon true 
valor. That man will fight most bravely who never 
fights till it is necessary, and who ceases to fight as 
soon as the necessity is over. . . . 

"We conclude with our most earnest prayer that 
the God of heaven may bless you in your temporal 
and spiritual concerns, and that the present unnat- 
ural dispute may be speedily terminated by an 
equitable and lasting settlement on constitutional 
principles." * This noble letter was dated May 
22d, a Monday. Six days later, we may be sure, it 
w^as read from the pulpit of the New Church. 

During the summer of 1775 military operations, 
we learn, continued to be active. McDougal was 
now Colonel of a regiment. "Colonel" Lasher was 
another Presbyterian who had been promoted. His 
battalion was reviewed by Major-General Schuyler 
on July 3d, "in the presence of a very respectable 
number of principal gentlemen and ladies." It was 
remarked that "they went through the exercises and 

* "Assembly Digest," pp. 480-482. 



IN THE REVOLUTION 65 

evolutions with the greatest order, alertness and 
decorum." * Toward the end of August some shots 
were exchanged between His Majesty's ship Asia 
and this same battalion of Colonel Lasher's. On 
November 15th, John Morin Scott writes: "All 
business stagnated; the city half deserted for fear of 
a bombardment. . . . Nothing from t'other side of 
the water but a fearful looking for of wrath. Our 
continental petition most probably contemned; the 
bulk of the nation, it is said, against us; and a 
bloody campaign next summer. But let us be pre- 
pared for the worst, — who can prize life without lib- 
erty ? It is a bauble only fit to be thrown away." f 

It is not surprising that the regular ongoing of the 
church life was, by this time, greatly interrupted. 
Even in the session records, usually reticent in re- 
gard to contemporary events, the state of turmoil 
now becomes evident. The omission of one of the 
stated meetings of the session, for instance, is attrib- 
uted to "the confusion our city was then in, by rea- 
son of our public trouble." On the morning of the 
last Thursday in November (the day, as it happens, 
which we now celebrate as our day of national Thanks- 
giving) the people assembled in the New Church to 
observe a day of prayer and fasting "on account of 
the melancholy situation of our public affairs." A 
few lines beyond this entry the records stop short, 
not to be resumed for eight long years. 

For a few weeks or months, however, the church 
life in a measure continued. Dr. Rodgers, toward 
the end of February, 1776, removed his family to 

* Gaines's Mercury," July 17th. 

t "New York City during the American Revolution." 



G6 THE BRICK CHURCH 

a place of safety near the city, but he himself went in 
and out as his duties required. In April he waited 
on General Washington, then in New York to pre- 
pare for its defence, and was received with great con- 
sideration. The General, we are told, "followed 
him to the door, and observed that his name had 
been mentioned to him in Philadelphia ... as a 
gentleman whose fidelity to the interest and liberties 
of the country might be relied on, and who might be 
capable of giving him important information; and 
added, 'May I take the liberty, Sir, to apply to you, 
with this view, whenever circumstances may render 
it desirable.^'" 

A city preparing for a siege was, of course, no place 
for women and children, and within a few weeks after 
this conversation a general exodus had begun. Be- 
fore long, none of Dr. Rodgers' congregation re- 
mained save the men who were on duty in the pa- 
triot ranks, and those who had determined to remain 
loyal to Great Britain, the latter constituting a very 
small minority.* Dr. Rodgers, however, was not 
left without an occupation. In April he was ap- 
pointed chaplain to General Heath's Brigade, sta- 
tioned near Greenwich Village, on Manhattan Isl- 
and. His service continued through the summer 
and autumn and was prosecuted with his usual 
energy. After a brief interval spent in Georgia on 
private business, he was again claimed for public 
service as cha])lain of the Convention of the State of 
New York (April, 1777). Later he held tlie same 

♦ Among Presbjlerian loyalists were Andrew Elliot, Collector of the 
Port, and Inter (177S) SuixrintPiidi-nt of Police; Sanuiel Bayard, Deputy 
Secretary of the Province; and James Jauncey (a pewholder). 



IN THE REVOLUTION 67 

office in the Council of Safety and in the first Legis- 
lature of the State.* 

But in valuable service to the American cause the 
minister was outdone by many of his parishioners. 
Alexander McDougal, who had been Colonel of the 
first troops raised in New York, was Brigadier-Gen- 
eral in 1776, and Major-General in 1777. He took 
part in the battles of Long Island, White Plains, and 
Germantown, and served in the New Jersey Cam- 
paign. Later he had command of important posts 
on the Hudson. Washington spoke of him as "a 
brave soldier and a disinterested patriot." f John 
Morin Scott, who had been, perhaps, the most influ- 
ential member of the Committee of One Hundred, 



* During the latter part of the war, Dr. Rodgers, having no public duty 
to perform, spent his time in such temporary pastoral work as offered it- 
self. After a brief service in Sharon, Conn., he in 1778 took up his resi- 
dence in Amenia, N. Y., where he continued as minister of the church for 
about two years (see "Early History of Amenia," by Newton Reed, p. 41). 
We learn from the records of " The Society in Amenia Precinct " that Dr. 
Rodgers received at first fifteen dollars a Sunday for his services, his 
parishioners agreeing "to pay the money to him, or lay it out for Provi- 
sions for him either of which Doct. Rogers Chuses." Several months later 
it was voted " that this Society give to Doct. Roges 10 dollars per Sabbath 
during the continuance of the State Act," while a committee of two was 
appointed to collect provisions and "other necessaries" for him. Still 
later we find one man directed to "provide Forage for Doct. Rogers for the 
ensuing year," six men together are to supply some one hundred pounds 
of butter, while three other individuals provide " 1 pig about 100 lbs, " 
"1 do. and a Beef" and "600wt pork." In a historical paper read in 
Amenia in 1876 by Newton Reed, Esq., the following reference to Dr. 
Rodgers appears: "He was very courteous and winning in his manners. 
... As an evidence that this courtly gentleman had the good sense to 
accommodate himself to the simplicity of his rural parish, it was told of 
him that he made an afternoon's visit with his wife and daughters, to the 
family of one of his parishioners, riding in an ox-cart." During the last 
years of the war Dr. Rodgers performed pastoral duties in Danbury, 
Conn., and Lamington, N. J. 

t "Writings of Washington," Vol. IX, p. 186. 



08 THE BRICK CHURCH 

was equally prominent in the Provincial Congress 
and rendered important service in drawing up the 
state constitution. He was appointed one of the first 
Brigadier-Generals in June, 1776, and was with the 
armv until he became Secretary of State (1777- 
1779). It is gratifying to see that when the time of 
action came, these two men, noted at first for an en- 
thusiasm which seemed sheer recklessness to the 
timid, had in reserve the wisdom and strength re(|- 
uisite for real leadership. No doubt, moreover, they 
had themselves developed under experience. The 
historian Bancroft, speaking of the policy of caution 
which New York followed even in the period imme- 
diately preceding active hostilities, and pointing out 
its wisdom from a strategic point of view, affirms 
that this policy was then "maintained alike by the 
prudent and the bold; by Livingston and Jay, by 
John Morin Scott and ]\IcDougal." 

Some of the Presbyterians rendered most distin- 
guished service as civil officers of the new govern- 
ment. Peter V. B. Livingston was, in 1775, President 
of the Provincial Congress, and later Treasurer of 
the State. In the former office he was followed by 
his kinsman and fellow-church-member, Peter R. 
Livingston, who was also Colonel of ]\Iilitia from 
1775 to 1780. Ebenezer Hazard, who had been 
Postmaster for the district of New York in 1775, 
served as Surveyor-General of Post Offices of the 
United States from 1777 to 1782 and was afterward 
Postmaster-General. 

But to return to the military branch of the public 
service: Colonel Lasher we already know, (the shoe- 
maker "of the lowest extraction"). John Broome 



IN THE REVOLUTION 69 

was Lieutenant-Colonel of Militia. Nicholas Ber- 
rian, Prentice Bo wen, John Quackenbos, and Jere- 
miah Wool were Presbyterians who rose to the rank 
of Captain. Peter Vergereau was a Lieutenant. And 
to these must be added the long list of men who 
served in the ranks,* many of them men of the high- 
est standing, like Peter V. B. Livingston and Eben- 
ezer Hazard, whose civil offices have been enumer- 
ated above. 

It would be unnecessary, even if practicable, to 
follow the fortunes of these individual Presbyterians 
through the whole war. After the British had taken 
possession of New York, these men were, of course, 
scattered as the exigencies of the war demanded. 
Many of them were never to see again the home or 
the church which they had abandoned for freedom's 
sake. 

The church building, meantime, rooted on Man- 
hattan Island, was unwillingly rendering service to 
the enemy. It had escaped the disastrous fire which 
raged through the city a few nights after the British 
took possession and which destroyed the parsonage, 
but, as was to have been expected, it had been put 
to secular uses by the invaders, and soon began to 

* The following list includes only those soldiers whose identification as 
New York Presbyterians seems practically certain. Positive knowledge 
in such a matter can hardly be obtained. The list would be twice as long 
had less rigid tests been applied: Alexander Anderson, William Barber, 
Samuel Broome, David Campbell, William Frazier, William Gordon, 
Thomas Graham, Joseph Hallet, Robert Harpur, Joseph Hawkins, 
Ebenezer Hazard, William Inglis, Thomas Jackson, John King, James 
Lamb, Peter V. B. Livingston, John McDougal, John Michael, Robert 
Nesbit, John North, Alexander Patterson, Joseph Pierson, Philip Pelton, 
Isaac Slover, Benjamin Smith, Gilbert Smith, Melancthon Smith, Robert 
Stewart, William Todd, Daniel Turner, Abraham Van Gelder, Nathaniel 
Weekes. 



70 THE BRICK CHURCH 

show the effects of rough treatment. For a time, we 
are told, it was made to serve as a prison, but after- 
ward, and through the greater part of the war, it was 
used as a hospital for the prisoners. In this way the 
church, though in the hands of the enemy, did, in a 
measure, serve the patriot cause, but the measure 
was, after all, but scant, for the hospital, as de- 
scribed by one who had experience of it, must 
have seemed to provide little more than a roof to die 
under. 

The description comes to us from one Levi Han- 
ford, who had been taken sick in late December, 
1777, on one of the prison ships in the river. "We 
were taken," he says, "to the Hospital in Dr. Rod- 
gers' Brick Meeting House (afterward Dr. Spring's), 
near the foot of the Park. From the yard I carried 
one end of a bunk, from which some person had just 
died, into the church, and got into it, exhausted and 
overcome. Wine and some other things were sent in 
by our Government for the sick; the British fur- 
nished nothing. . . . [The doctor] was an American 
surgeon and a prisoner, — had been taken out of 
prison to serve in the hospital. ... Of all places, 
that was the last to be coveted; disease and death 
reigned there in all their terrors. I have had men 
die by the side of me in the night, and have seen 
fifteen dead bodies sewed up in their blankets and 
laid in the corner of the yard at one time, the product 
of one twenty-four hours. Every morning at eight 
o'clock the dead-cart came, the bodies were put in, 
the men drew their rum, and the cart w^as driven off 
to the trenches." * 

* Disosway, p. 145. 



IN THE REVOLUTION 71 

One attempt was made during the war to restore 
the church to its religious uses. In the fall of 1780 
the two Presbyterian loyalists, Elliot, then Lieuten- 
ant-Governor, and Smith, the Chief Justice, started 
a movement to this effect, and proposed that Dr. 
Rodgers be invited to return to the city and conduct 
services in the restored church. Governor Robert- 
son promised his cooperation in this somewhat sur- 
prising plan. That Dr. Rodgers would have acqui- 
esced in it is impossible. We are not surprised that 
to most of the loyalists the proposal seemed as absurd 
as it was objectionable. They, on their part, con- 
sidered the Presbyterian minister "to be a person of 
rigid republican principle, a rebellious, seditious 
preacher, a man who had given more encouragement 
to rebellion by his treasonable harangues from the 
pulpit than any other republican preacher, perhaps, 
on the continent." Smith and Elliot knew, of course, 
that these ferocious opinions were exaggerated 
by hatred, and their own proposal is a tribute to the 
old relation of confidence and esteem between pastor 
and people, but they were, as might have been ex- 
pected, unable to carry their point. The most prac- 
tical difficulty was met in the veto of Dr. Booth, 
the British Superintendent of Hospitals, who said 
that he could not surrender the church unless pro- 
vided with its equivalent elsewhere.* 

It is asserted that the British Government paid a 
rental for those churches in New York which were 
seized and used during the English occupation, 
but it is also admitted that the money went no fur- 
ther than to the barrack-masters. Certainly no conj- 

* Jones "N. Y. in Rev.," Vol. II, p. 2, 



72 THE BRICK CHURCH 

pensation was received by the Presbyterians for the 
use of the New Church or for the damage done to it ; 
and at the end of the war Httle more than the shell 
was left. Within, it was completely dismantled. 



CHAPTER VI 

RESTORATION AND PROGRESS: 1783-1808 

"The Lord doth build up Jerusalem; he gathereth together the outcasts of 
Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds."- — Psalm 
147 : 2 ;. 

" Their numbers greatly reduced by death and by permanent removals to the 
country, the pecuniary resources of all of them impaired and of many of them ex- 
hausted, both their houses of worship in a state little short of complete ruin, their 
parsonage burnt, and a considerable debt accumulated in consequence of their long 
exclusion from the city — it may be supposed that nothing but Christian faith could 
have preserved them from total discouragement." — Samuel Miller "Memoirs of 
John Rodgers," p. 243. 

ON November 13th, 1783, nearly two weeks 
before New York City was finally evacu- 
ated by the British, the following notice 
appeared in "The New York Packet and the Ameri- 
can Advertiser:" * "The Members of the Presby- 
terian Congregation are requested, at the desire of 
some of the late Trustees, to meet at the New Brick 
Church, This Afternoon at Four o'Clock, to provide 
means for putting their Church in order for Public 
Worship." 

The New Church had suffered less than the 
building on Wall Street,t and it was, accordingly, 
chosen as the one to be immediately repaired. The 
need became increasingly urgent after the British 
evacuation, when large numbers of Presbyterians 

* A semi-weekly sheet printed by " Samuel Loudon, No. 5, Water- 
Street, between the Coffee-House and the Old Slip." 

t The latter building had been used as a barrack by the enemy. 

73 



74 THE BRICK CHURCH 

returned to the city, so that Dr. Rodgers soon found 
himself surrounded by a considerable congregation 
for whom no place of worship was yet provided. 

At this juncture an unexpected and most welcome 
offer was made by the vestry of Trinity Church. It 
was proposed, in a spirit of Christian courtesy, that 
St. George's and St. Paul's chapels should be used 
alternately by the Presbyterians until their own place 
of worship had been restored. The offer was ac- 
cepted and this arrangement continued from Novem- 
ber, 1783, until the following June. 

Thus is explained the unusual fact that the ser- 
mon, whose manuscript is still in existence, preached 
by Dr. Rodgers on the day of Thanksgiving and 
Prayer, recommended by Congress and observed 
throughout the United States on December 11th, 
1783, was delivered in an Episcopal church, St. 
George's, corner of Beekman and Cliff Streets.* The 
text was taken from Psalm 126 : 3, "The Lord hath 
done great things for us, whereof we are glad," and 
the sermon is a faithful ascription of praise to God 
for all the providences and mercies of the war. 

It is always interesting to see events through the 
eyes of a contemporary, when he is as well qualified 
to describe and estimate them as Dr. Rodgers was. 
The special evidences of the favor of God which he 
enumerates are certainly well chosen. First, he men- 
tions "that union which proved our strength in the 
day of trial," and which was so diflficult of attain- 
ment that men might readily ascribe it to the benev- 

* It was repeated by Dr. Henry van Dyke in the present Brick Church 
on the one hundredth anniversary of "Evacuation Day," November 25th, 
1883. 



RESTORATION AND PROGRESS 75 

olent intervention of God. He continues by pointing 
out that the first attack of the enemy was providen- 
tially made "upon a place where our greatest strength 
lay," that throughout the war, and in spite of war's 
ravages, there was abundance of provisions of every 
kind, and that the general health, both in the country 
at large and in the army, had, on the whole, been 
astonishingly good. The choice of the commander- 
in-chief is singled out as an event peculiarly indica- 
tive of the divine guidance, *'for," says Dr. Rodgers, 
*'by his commanding address, exemplary patience, 
and invincible fortitude, he encouraged and taught 
our soldiers to endure the greatest hardships, and 
prepared our army for disbanding, when no other 
man could have done it." * Finally, the preacher 
ascribes to the Lord of hosts *'the success of our 
arms," and in a brief survey of the war he points out 
the many instances in which a power greater than 
man's might be clearly discerned. As he closes, he 
paints contrasting pictures of the desolations of war 
and the blessings of peace, which must have been 
most affecting to his hearers, and ends with a sol- 
emn reminder of the serious evils existing in the 
national character, in part the product of the war 

* The following letter, now in the possession of Dr. Rodgers' great- 
grandson, Mr. Robertson Rodgers, refers to a copy of the printed form of 
this sermon: 

Philadelpa 5th May 1784 
Dear Sir 

The Thanksgiving Sermon which you did me the favor to send 
me I read with much pleasure, & pray you to accept my thanks for it, & 
the favorable mention you have been pleased to make of me therein. 
My compliments await M" Rogers — With great esteem and respect 

I remain d"" Sir — 
Yr most obed* & affect Ser 

Go Washington 
The Rev Doc Rogers 



76 THE BRICK CHURCH 

and unhappily surviving it, and reminds the people 
that of all the good things now restored to them 
nothing could be compared in importance with the 
renewed privileges and duties of religion.* 

The repairs in the New Church were accomplished 
at a cost of thirteen hundred pounds sterling, f a large 
sum, it was thought, but necessitated by the high price 
of all materials at that time. The first service in the 
restored church was held on June 27th, 1784, Dr. 
Rodgers preaching from the text, *'I was glad when 
they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the 
Lord." It was most encouraging to discover that the 
demand for pews was at once greater than the sup- 
ply, showing that the Wall Street Church must also 
be repaired, and this was done in the course of the 
next year. 

Fortunately, a description of the interior of the 
church on Beekman Street, as it looked after the 
restoration, has come down to us. Indeed, with the 
help of Dr. Manasseh Cutler, whose diary happily 
includes an account of his visit to New York in 1787, 
we are enabled to attend both morning and evening 
service on a certain Sunday in July of that year, 
which will be much pleasanter than to examine the 
empty church. 

"Attended public worship this morning," says 
Dr. Cutler, "at the new brick Presbyterian Church. 
The house is large and elegant. The carvings within 

* The original manuscript, from which this abstract is taken, does not 
correspond, either in form or substance, to the sermon as afterward 
printed, except in the most general way. The published sermon is in 
many respects less forcible and less interesting. 

t Equivalent to between $3,000 and $4,000. The money was raised by 
subscription through the energy of Dr. Rodgers. 




GROUND-PLAN OF THE BPaCK CHURCH ON BEEKMAN STREET 



RESTORATION AND PROGRESS 77 

are rather plain, but very neat, and produce a fine 
effect upon the eye. The form of the house is long, 
and the pulpit near one end, but not adjoining to the 
wall. It is supported by a single post, which passes 
up at the back of the pulpit, and is crowned with the 
sounding-board, not more than two feet above the 
minister's head. At the end of the house, opposite 
to the pulpit, are two doors, which open into two 
long aisles, which extend the whole length of the 
house. The pews are built on each side of the aisles, 
one tier of wall pews and two tiers in the centre of 
the house.* The pews are long and narrow, having 
only one long seat, except that there are two square 
wall pews placed opposite to each other near the 
centre of the side walls, with a handsome canopy 
over them, supported by pillars. The floors of these 
pews are considerably elevated above the others, 
which renders them very pleasant. They are called 
the Governor's pews, and are occupied by strangers. 
"Dr. Ewing, Provost of the College of Philadel- 
phia, preached a very pretty sermon on the advan- 
tages and excellency of the Christian religion. The 
congregation appeared remarkably neat and rich m 
their dress, but not gay. The house was very full 
and exceedingly attentive. 

"I was particularly pleased with the smgmg. 
Around the large pillar which supports the pulpit is 
a very large circular pew, appropriated to the war- 
dens t of the church and the chorister. In the front 
of this pew is a little desk considerably elevated. 

* In this Dr. Cutler's observation was at fault. There was also a middle 
aisle and the number of tiers or ranges of pews, as shown on the st.U ex- 
isting plans (see illustration opposite p. 76), were six m number. 

t Meaning the elders, and possibly the deacons. 



78 THE BRICK CHURCH 

When the psalm is read, the chorister steps up into 
this desk and sings the first line. He is then joined 
in the second line by the whole congregation — men, 
women, and children seemed all to sing, almost with- 
out exception. The airs of the tunes were sprightly, 
though not very quick ; the singing, notwithstanding 
it was performed by such a mixed multitude, was 
soft, musical, and solemn, and the time well pre- 
served. There is an orchestra, but no organ. The 
public service was introduced by a short prayer, 
reading the Scriptures, and then singing; but instead 
of singing before the sermon, they sing, in the morn- 
ing as well as afternoon, after the last prayer. As 
soon as the last singing is ended, the wardens go out 
from the large round pew, with each a large pewter 
platter in his hand, each taking a tier of the pews 
and walk down the aisles. Every person, great and 
small, puts into the platter one copper, and no more. 
This contribution is made through the whole con- 
gregation in less than three minutes." 

Having allowed Dr. Cutler to give us already so 
much more than a description of the church itself, 
we must go with him a paragraph further in order 
to make the picture of this morning service com- 
plete, although the bearing of this last item upon the 
matter of the church's architecture is, it must be 
confessed, rather remote. "I was struck this morn- 
ing," thus Dr. Cutler continues, "with a custom in 
this city which I had never before heard of in any 
part of the world. I observed, as I was going to 
church, six men, walking two and two toward the 
church, with very large white sashes, which appeared 
to be made of fine Holland, the whole width and two 



RESTORATION AND PROGRESS 79 

or three yards in length. They were placed over 
their right shoulders, and tied under their left arms 
in a very large bow, with several yards of white rib- 
bon on the top of their shoulders; a large rose, 
formed of white ribbon, was placed on the sash. As 
I came up to the yard of the church. Dr. Rodgers 
and Dr. Ewing were just before me, going into the 
church, both in their black gowns, but Dr. Rodgers 
with a large white sash, like those of the six men, 
only that the bow and rose of ribbon were black. 
These sashes, I was informed, were given the last 
week at a funeral. They are worn by the minister 
and bearers to the grave, and are always worn by 
them the next Sunday, and the bearers always walk 
to and from the church together. To give these 
sashes is a general custom at the funeral of persons 
of any note." * 

Under so agreeable a guide, the reader, it is hoped, 
will not object to attending a second service on the 
same day. For Dr. Cutler, indeed, it was the third, 
but inasmuch as he went in the afternoon to the ser- 
vice of another denomination, we may reserve our 
energies to accompany him in the evening. "At- 
tended a lecture," he says, "at Dr. Rodgers' new 
brick Presbyterian Church. Full congregation. Dr. 
Witherspoon, President of the New Jersey College, 
preached. He is an intolerably homely old Scotch- 
man, and speaks the true dialect of his country, ex- 
cept that his brogue borders on the Irish. He is a 
bad speaker, has no oratory, and had no notes be- 
fore him. His subject was ' Hypocrisy.' But, not- 
withstanding the dryness of the subject [and] the bad- 

* Cutler's "Life," etc., Vol. I, pp. 231-234. 



80 THE BRICK CHURCH 

ness of his delivery, which required the closest atten- 
tion to understand him, yet the correctness of his 
style, the arrangement of his matter, and the many 
new ideas that he suggested, rendered his sermon 
very entertaining. The attention of the congregation 
strongly marked their regard for good sense and clear 
reasoning, rather than the mere show of oratory and 
declamation. Spent the remainder of the evening 
and supped with Mr. Hazard." * 

The heavy expense entailed by the restoration of 
their buildings was partly offset by the fact that the 
Presbyterians, in March, 1784, obtained, by petition 
to the Corporation of the city, a reduction of the 
annual rental paid for the Beekman Street property, 
from £40 to <£21 5 s., and, at the same time, the back 
rental for the period of the congregation's exile from 
the city, amounting to .£303, was forgiven. Shortly 
after this the treasury received unexpected aid from 
another source. In June, 1787, the Corporation of 
Trinity Church (which, as is well known, held a large 
property from the days before the Revolution) of 
its own free will and entirely unsolicited, conveyed to 
the First Presbyterian Church of New York a piece 
of ground on Robinson Street (now known as Nos. 
3 and 5 Park Place), for the purpose of providing a 
site for the parsonage of the senior minister. f It 

* Cutler's "Life," etc., Vol. I, p. 236. 

t The following are the extracts from the minutes of the vestry of 
Trinity Church, relating to this matter. January 6th, 17S6. "The Board 
considering that thier fellow citazciis of the two Presbytarian Congrega- 
tions in this City have not convenient lots of ground whereon to build 
dwelling houses for their respective senior pastors. RESOLVED that this 
Corporation will grant a good lot of ground to each of the Presbytarian 
Congregations in this City for the use of thier respective senior pastors for 
the time being." "Also on April 6th, 1786, it was "RESOLVED that the 



RESTORATION AND PROGRESS 81 

was never put to this use, but the income from the 
property became a part of Dr. Rodgers' salary.* 

One other piece of property came into the posses- 
sion of the church at this time which deserves a 
passing mention, because, although of no great 
intrinsic value, it constitutes to-day one of the oldest 
treasures of the Brick Church. This is a "silver 
bason," which Colonel Stevens and several other 
gentlemen presented to the session in March, 1791, 
"for the use of baptizing children in the New 
Church." It was in common use for this purpose 
for over a hundred years. 

During the twenty-five years covered by this 
chapter, that is, the period from the close of the 
Revolutionary War till the date of the proposal to 
break up the collegiate arrangement of the Presby- 
terian Church of New York, there was but one 
senior pastor. Dr. Rodgers, whose honors increased 
with his years; but the position of associate pastor 
was filled in succession by several different men. 
The Rev. Mr. Treat had not returned to the city at 
the close of the war, and there were reasons why the 
session did not desire that he should do so. The 
somewhat delicate situation was met by a vote of 
the congregation on July 1st, 1784, that they could 

Rector be requested to acquaint the Pastors of the Presbyterian Congre- 
gations with the intentions of this Corporation and that they be requested 
to agree on the lotts thier Corporations respectively [will?] hold that deeds 
may be prepared accordingly." The two Presbyterian congregations here 
referred to were the First Presbyterian Church of New York (including the 
Wall Street and New churches) and the Scotch Presbyterian Church on 
Cedar Street. 

* In 1803 the Presbyterian trustees made a release in fee to William 
Whyttan in perpetuity, with rent reserved of $250 a year to be paid to 
the senior Presbyterian pastor. This is still paid. In 1901 this property 
was assessed at a valuation of $77,000. 



8^ THE BRICK CHURCH 

at that time support but one minister. Accordingly 
for the year after the restoration of the New Church, 
Dr. Rodgers bore the burden alone. In August, 
1785, however, Mr. James Wilson, a Scotchman, was 
ordained as colleague. Two and a half years later, 
when he was forced to resign and move to the South 
on account of his health, he had won the "sincere 
and high esteem" of the church, and was dismissed 
with regret. 

The choice of his successor was complicated by 
the putting forward of two candidates, with the result 
that neither obtained a call and nearly two years' 
time was lost by the controversy. Finally Mr. John 
McKnight, of Marsh Creek, Penn., was called, and 
entered upon his duties late in 1789, **to the entire 
and high satisfaction of all parties."* It soon ap- 
peared, however, that the burdens of the position 
would be too great for his strength, especially the 
necessity of preaching three times each Sunday, as 
was then the custom. Rather than lose his valued 
services or discontinue the Sunday evening meeting, 

* The following characterization is from a letter by the Rev. George 
Duffield, D.D., quoted in Sprague's "Annals," Vol. Ill, p. 374. "Dr. 
McKnight was a man of slender person, and rather above the medium 
height. His countenance indicated a considerate turn of mind, and at 
least a capacity for deep thought. His manners were graceful and digni- 
fied, without any attempt at the polish and courtier-like demeanor, some- 
times assumed by popular and fashionable clergymen. He was at home 
in all society, and could adapt himself in his native simplicity of character 
to every variety of age, temper, and education. ... As a preacher he was 
calm and dispassionate. Although there was little variety in either his 
tones or his gestures, yet his delivery was far from being dull or monoto- 
nous: it was well adapted to his matter, which was generally a lucid, logi- 
cal exhibition of some important scriptural truth. He was a zealous 
asserter of the Calvinistic faith, which, however, he chose to present in 
connection with a 'thus saith the Lord,' rather than the subtleties of 
metaphysics." 



RESTORATION AND PROGRESS 83 

as some proposed, it was decided to call a third minis- 
ter, and on June 5th, 1793, Mr. Samuel Miller became 
co-pastor with Dr. Rodgers and Dr.* McKnight. 
He was but twenty-two years of age and is described 
as having "much more than common advantages in 
respect to personal appearance. Of about the 
middle size, he was perfectly well proportioned, with 
a fine, intelligent and benignant countenance, which 
would not be likely to pass unnoticed in a crowd. 
His manners were cultivated and graceful in a high 
degree, uniting the polish of Chesterfield with the 
dignity and sincerity of a Christian minister. . . . 
His work on 'Clerical Manners' could never have 
been written by one who was less considerate and 
exact than himself, and indeed, but for his exceeding 
modesty, one might almost suppose that in writing it 
he was taking his own portrait."! 

In regard to his work as a writer and preacher, we 
are told that "he had, from the beginning, an un- 
commonly polished style," and that "there was an 
air of literary refinement pervading all his perform- 
ances, that excited general admiration, and wellnigh 
put criticism at defiance."^ 

Dr. Gardiner Spring, writing many years later, 
selects the word "accomplished" as the one best 
fitted to characterize his preaching, and tells how, in 
beginning his sermon, he would remove the Bible 
from the desk to the cushion behind his back and 
speak with neither book nor manuscript before him. 
From other sources we learn that it was his custom 



* The degree was conferred by Yale College in 1791. 
t Sprague'a "Annals," Vol. Ill, pp. 602 /. 
i Sprague's "Annals," Vol. Ill, p. 600. 



84 THE BRICK CHURCH 

to reduce his material to writing and then memorize 
it. For "the prejudice against reading was so great, 
that it was at the peril at least of one's reputation as 
a preacher that he ventured to lay his manuscript 
before him. ... So perfectly distinct was [Mr. 
Miller's] enunciation that he could be heard, without 
effort, at the extremity of the largest church. His 
attitudes in the pulpit were extremely dignified, 
though perhaps somewhat precise; and his gesture, 
which was never otherwise than appropriate, was yet 
not very abundant. . . . He would occasionally 
deliver a sentence with an air of majesty and a 
degree of unction that would make it quite irresisti- 
ble. I remember, for instance," continues Dr. 
Sprague, to whom we are indebted for this lively 
description, "to have heard him relate in a New 
Year's sermon on the text, 'How old art thou.^' the 
well-known anecdote of the Roman Emperor ex- 
claiming at the close of a day which had gone to 
waste, 'Oh, I have lost a day!' and it seemed scarcely 
possible that the exclamation should have been 
uttered in a way to secure to it a higher effect."* 

This description conveys to us evidently the 
impression made by Mr. Miller in his maturity. 
AVhen he came to New York he was, it will be re- 
membered, at the very beginning of his career, a fact 
pleasantly suggested in the statement of one of his 
contemporaries, that in those days, although they 
were "dressed in full canonicals, not omitting the 
three-cornered hat," they were commonly called 
"the boy ministers." 

For nearly twenty years these three clergymen, Dr. 

* Sprague '8 "Annals," Vol. Ill, pp. G03 /. 



RESTORATION AND PROGRESS 85 

Rodgers, Dr. McKnight and Mr. Miller, labored 
side by side in the New and Wall Street churches. 
The addition of the third pastor, in order to lighten 
the burden, was soon counterbalanced by the opening 
of a third church on Rutgers Street (in 1798) to 
supply the growing needs of the northeast portion 
of the city. In 1805, however. Dr. Philip Milledoler 
was called to take special charge of this third congre- 
gation, with the understanding that his relation there 
should continue in case of a separation of the churches. 
Thus the now venerable Dr. Rodgers and his two 
colleagues were left free once more to devote them- 
selves to the Wall Street and Brick* Church congre- 
gations. 

A brief review of the work in which they were then 
engaged will serve to acquaint us with the church 
life in these years. Besides the six Sunday services, 
which they shared among them, and the Thursday 
evening lecture, which Dr. Rodgers himself continued 
to conduct until 1799, there was now begun, in a very 
experimental way, a social prayer-meeting. It met 
at six different churches in rotation on the second 
Wednesday of each month "at candle lighting," but 
gradually established itself as a stated feature of the 
life of each church. 

The regular offerings for the poor of the parish, 
taken on communion Sundays and at the time of the 
annual Charity Sermon in December, were promptly 
resumed at the close of the war, and indeed with a 
generosity that cannot but move us to admiration. 
Before the New Church had been repaired, in fact, 
but a month after services were resumed, a charity 

* For the official adoption of this name at this time see pages 26, 27. 



86 THE BRICK CHURCH 

offering of more than £80 was made, and two months 
later a special offering of £75 for the city poor was 
added. In December, 1784, the New Church people, 
now worshipping alone, made a charity offering of 
£58, an unprecedented sum. It is evident that the 
exaggerated distress of the time aroused them to 
extra effort.* Still more remarkable is the fact that, 
from this time on, their offerings were maintained at 
a considerably higher figure than formerly. For the 
first six years after the two congregations were again 
settled in their respective churches, the charity offer- 
ing at the New Church was one-third larger than it 
had been for the same period before the war, and in 
the next decade (beginning with 1791) the average 
of the offering was not only increased again, but actu- 
ally doubled. In some years nearly £100 were given 
to this cause. In 1801 it is interesting to notice that 
the sums begin to be given in dollars and cents, the 
old English system having continued up to that time. 
The offerings for the first years of the new century 
ranged from $175 to $225, a still further advance. f 

* Dr. Rodgere, in the sermon already described at the beginning of this 
chapter, had strongly urged the church's responsibility in this direction. 
After referring to the many "deserving citizens who have lost their all in 
this struggle," and especially to "those who have become widows and 
fatherless by this great contest," he says: "I most affectionately recom- 
mend them to the notice and friendship of their more opulent fellow-citizens, 
and the attention of the public, not upon the score of charity but of jus- 
tice. Can no plans be fallen upon for employing such deserving members 
of the community, which is the best method of providing for them? And 
can luxury and dissipation, those awkward vices in our present situation 
(to give them the softest name) — can they spare nothing for the supply of 
the more indigent among them? The approaching winter enforces the 
duty before us, with an energy that language fails to e.xpress." "Divine 
Goodness Displayed," etc., p. 36 /. 

t It is interesting that on at least one occasion (November, 1787), in ad- 
dition to the usual methods of relieving the needs of the poor, the session 



RESTORATION AND PROGRESS 87 

It might be supposed that this increase in the regu- 
lar benevolence of the church would exhaust the 
purses of the congregation, but, as so often happens, 
generosity grew by exercise. Offerings for the send- 
ing of missionaries to the frontier were made on more 
than one occasion ; help was given toward the restora- 
tion of a church in Savannah, Georgia, destroyed 
by fire; a collection was taken for the Society for 
the Relief of Poor Widows with Small Children,* 
and another for the New York Missionary Society. f 
The sense of a wider responsibility among the 
churches was growing, and these occasional extra 
offerings among the Presbyterians were a happy 
prophecy of the coming of the new era. 

In regard to money required by the church for its 
own expenses, we have an interesting note recorded 
in 1795. J *'The only stated revenue of the church," 
we are told, "from which they have been enabled to 
support the gospel from time to time, has arisen from 
the rents of their pews, in aid to which they have 
always had and still have a collection at every sermon 
(a practice In standing use among the churches of 
every denomination in the city). They have been 
obliged in four instances, when calling an additional 
minister, to have recourse to an annual subscription 
for a few years, but this practice is now laid aside." 

voted that wood be bought and stored for the use of the poor through the 
winter, an early parallel to our modern "coal club." 

* The names of three of the other benevolent institutions existing in 
New York at this time, in which the Presbyterian ministers were actively 
interested, will help to show the spirit that was now abroad: The Society 
for the Relief of Distressed Prisoners, The City Dispensary, The Society for 
Promoting the Manumission of Slaves. 

t Founded in 1796. Mr. Miller took a great interest in it. 

X "Manuscript Hist.," p. 25. 



88 THE BRICK CHURCH 

The sum which was thus annually provided was by 
no means small. Dr. Rodgers, we are told,* received 
a salary of £700. Mr. Miller was called at a salary 
of £300 ; and presumably Dr. McKnight received the 
same. Each church had, moreover, its own clerk 
or chorister, its sexton, etc., and the annual expense 
for repairs and maintenance must have been con- 
siderable. 

By far the most interesting development of the 
church work in this period remains to be described. 
On May 1st, 1789, the Presbyterian trustees opened 
a charity school for the secular education of the 
poor children of the parish. Other churches of the 
city had set the example of supplying, in a measure, 
the need of a public school free to all,f and whether 
we consider their interest in the cause of education 
itself or their desire to ensure religious training (in 
connection with secular instruction) for the children 
of the poor, their endeavor was in every respect an 
admirable one. 

The foundation for this important Presbyterian 
charity had been laid many years before by a legacy 
amounting to $750, left by Capt. Jeremiah Owen 

* By Manasseh Cutler in 1787, who adds that the perquisites amounted 
to about ;^200. Dr. Rodgers was originally called at a salary of ;^350. 

t This important work had not yet been undertaken by the State. In 
a sermon by Mr. Miller, delivered in the New Church on July 4th, 1705, 
"before the Mechanic, Tammany, and Democratic societies, and the Mili- 
tary Officers," appears the following note (page 29): "The estabUshment 
of public schools, and making their support an object of legislative atten- 
tion, is so plainly and intimately connected with the welfare of all repub- 
lics, that neither proof nor illustration on the subject are necessary. Of 
such establishment the Eastern States have set us an honorable and useful 
example. The States of New York and Pennsylvania seem to be about 
engaging in a similar plan. . . . May we yet see the time when good edu- 
cation shall be extended to every class of citizens." 



RESTORATION AND PROGRESS 89 

as a fund whose interest should be appHed annually 
toward the instruction of poor children of the congre- 
gation in reading, writing, and the use of figures.* 

Unhappily, on the ground that at that time the 
Presbyterian Church was not, and could not be, in- 
corporated, Mr. Gabriel Ludlow, the administrator, 
found himself legally unable to pay over the bequest. 
He was a zealous member of the Church of England, 
and the vestry of Trinity Church endeavored, we 
are told, to persuade him that the money might 
properly be turned over to them, or at least used to 
maintain, at their school, children of Presbyterian 
parents. But Mr. Ludlow, who pointedly declared 
that he was an honest man as well as a churchman, 
and that he would fulfil the intention of Captain 
Owen to the best of his knowledge and ability, under- 
took himself to select needy Presbyterian children 
and place them under the care of Presbyterian school- 
masters. Thus he expended the income of the legacy 
for ten years, with singular justness and fidelity.f 
The principal of the bequest subsequently came into 
the church's possession, and after the war, though 
much diminished by the depreciation of the paper 
currency, it was still available for its original pur- 
pose. 

In 1787, with a view to providing more adequately 
for this work of education, a subscription was opened, 
and the sum of £500, equal to about $1,250, was 
realized. In the next year a bequest amounting to 
$900 was made by Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson, a 
member of the church, for the same purpose. The 

*See "Rodgers Mem.," pp. 167 and 414; also "Manuscript Hist.," 
p. 2a t "Rodgers Mem.," pp. 168 /. 



90 THE BRICK CHURCH 

trustees, acting with a committee of the session, were 
now able with the funds in hand to hire a master and 
open a school, which they did in 1789, as has been 
already stated. This was, however, established in 
temporary quarters. The next step was to purchase 
a lot on Nassau Street, between Liberty and Cedar, 
opposite the Middle Dutch Church, and to erect 
on it a two-story brick building, measuring twenty- 
five by forty feet, and containing both an ample 
school-room and living apartments for the master 
and his family. Here fifty children were at once 
gathered, both boys and girls. Their studies con- 
sisted not only of the usual rudiments, designated in 
Captain Owen's plan, but psalmody and the West- 
minster Shorter Catechism. The minister and a 
committee of the trustees visited the school once in 
every quarter and the proficiency of the scholars was 
carefully noted. 

Although the special fimds referred to above had 
made possible the establishment of this institution, 
they were far from adequate to pay the annual 
running expenses. Nor did a legacy of £200 in ITO^, 
from Mr. James Leslie, a school-master, supply the 
deficiency. The trustees were, indeed, forced to 
depend principally upon an annual collection in each 
of the two churches. This was very far from being 
a disadvantage, in that it made the school a genuine 
and continuing part of the church work. It was thus 
not merely a monument to the generosity of an older 
generation, but an appeal to the support and interest 
of livins: men and women, and at the same time a 
strikinir reminder that the church was called to 
minister to the general welfare of the people as well 



RESTORATION AND PROGRESS 91 

as to their definitely religious needs. We shall hear 
more of this enterprise at a later time. 

It has already become evident that, during the 
quarter of a century which this chapter covers, the 
history of the church was quiet and uneventful. 
It was a period suited to normal and gradual growth. 
In particular — contrasting decidedly in this with the 
period of the war — there were no external events 
that seriously affected the church life, either for good 
or for evil. To this, however, one exception must 
be made. The church life must have been affected 
not a little by the dreadful epidemics which persist- 
ently ravaged the city. It is hard to realize nowadays 
that in the period under discussion New York stood 
in constant terror of plague and pestilence, and that 
sometimes year after year the scourge returned in 
spite of all attempt at prevention. In 1791, in 1795, 
and especially in 1798 yellow fever carried off great 
numbers of the inhabitants. No less than one hun- 
dred and eighty-six members of the Presbyterian 
Church perished in the last named year. Again in 
1803 and 1804 the prevalence of the plague was great 
enough to interrupt seriously the work of the church 
and to cause undisguised alarm. 

These occurrences must have affected greatly not 
only the number of members, but the whole religious 
temper of the church. Considered, as they were, to 
be more or less directly an indication of divine dis- 
pleasure, these visitations had a very important rela- 
tion to the religious experience of many people. 
Mr. Miller, who, as Dr. Rodgers aged, took the lead 
in the church, makes this evident in several sermons 
that have come down to us. He himself, faithful to 



92 THE BRICK CHURCH 

his trust, remained in the city throughout the whole 
of "that melancholy season" in 1798, preaching 
every Sunday to his trembling fellow-citizens; and 
his sermon, delivered early in the following year, "On 
the Removal of a Malignant and Mortal Disease," 
gives us a vivid impression of the experience and of its 
appeal to the conscience of religious people. 

"There are probably few cases," said Mr. Miller, 
"in which we feel ourselves more completely helpless, 
and more entirely in the hands of God, than when he 
sends forth pestilence, as a messenger of his ^^Tath 
to chastise a guilty society. . . . Then it is, if ever, 
that human pride bows its head: then, if ever, that 
the incorrigible infidel thinks, for a moment, of a 
God, of Providence, and of prayer. Have you for- 
gotten, my brethren, that such was lately our situa- 
tion ? . . . Have you forgotten those gloomy days, 
when scarcely any sound was heard but the voice of 
mourning and death ? . . . Have you forgotten the 
vows which you made, and the resolutions which you 
formed in those serious and solemn hours ? The 
badges of mourning which I see before me bring to 
my remembrance a husband or a wife, a parent or a 
child, a brother or a sister, recently torn from your 
embraces and consigned to the insatiable tomb." 
With an exuberant rhetoric, which these brief excerpts 
but faintly suggest, the hearers were led to acknowl- 
edge their unspeakable gratitude to God for his deliv- 
erance. "Some he saved by providing a place of 
refuge, where the salubrious breeze and the hospitable 
board sustained them till the evil was past; while 
others were preserved, though walking in the midst 
of the devouring poison, to discharge the duties of 



RESTORATION AND PROGRESS 93 

benevolence and humanity. . . . When the sur- 
vivors were helpless, and apprehended a devastation 
still more awful, he appeared to stay the plague. . . . 
But let all your thanksgivings be mingled with 
humility, and all your joy tempered with the recollec- 
tion, that sinful beings are continually exposed to 
wrath and chastisement. ... It becomes us to trem- 
ble lest we should be again visited by a similar, or a 
more dreadful calamity. ... If I am not deceived, 
the spirit of prophecy informs us that the days in 
which we live are the 'last days.' . . . Such a general 
derangement in the political and moral world has 
not, probably, existed since the antediluvian scenes 
of depravity. . . . When I look round this populous 
city, which was, a few weeks since, clothed in mourn- 
ing, and contemplate the criminal dissipation and 
the various forms of wickedness which have so soon 
taken the place of those gloomy scenes, I am con- 
strained, with anxious dread, to ask, 'Shall not God 
be avenged on such a people as this.^' . . . Do not 
hastily imagine, from this strain of address, that . . . 
it would be my wish to see every innocent amusement 
discarded. . . . But do we see no other than inno- 
cent amusements prevailing around us ? Are the 
lewdness, the blasphemy, the gaming, the unprinci- 
pled speculation, the contempt of Christian duties, 
and the violation of the Christian Sabbath, so mourn- 
fully prevalent in our city and land — are these 
innocent ? Then were the cities of Sodom and Go- 
morrah innocent. Then are the impious orgies of 
infernal spirits harmless in the sight of God." 

It is perhaps almost unfair thus to subject an 
eighteenth-century discourse to the criticism of an 



94 THE BRICK CHURCH 

age which in its literary taste and the spirit of its re- 
ligion is very materially different. But there can be 
no doubt that Mr. Miller's * sermon was in its day 
impressive and capable of stirring the most serious 
emotions in his hearers. The quotation that has 
been made from it is indeed valuable, not only for 
the outward picture which it aids us to form of a 
tragic episode in the city's life, but for the insight 
which it gives us into the religious condition of the 
period, and the means which the Christian Church, 
and in particular the Presbyterian Church in New 
York, was using at that time for the conversion of 
sinners and the revival of true religion. 

♦ He received the degree of D.D., in 1804, from the University of 
Pennsylvania, of which he was a graduate. 



CHAPTER VII 

THE SENIOR PASTOR 

"If solid and respectable talents, if acquirements which enabled him to act his 
part in various important stations with uniform honor, if patriarchal dignity, if sound 
practical wisdom, and a long life of eminent usefulness, be worthy of grateful re- 
membrance and of respectful imitation, then the life of Dr. Rodgers is worthy of 
being written and perused." — Samuel Miller, "Memoirs of John Rodgers," p. 11. 

" I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with 
knowledge and understanding." — Jeremiah 3 : 15. 

BY the beginning of the new century Dr. Rodgers, 
as has been already intimated, was beginning 
to feel his age. He had now served the 
church for nearly forty years, and in spite of the great 
growth during that period and the many other able 
men, both clergy and laymen, who had contributed 
to the church's welfare and progress, the impress 
of the personality of Dr. Rodgers upon the whole 
history was unmistakable. The record of the years 
to which the last chapter was devoted would be like 
a watch without the mainspring, unless the senior 
pastor were given his place in the middle of the 
scene. The picture presented at the beginning of 
this history, of the "new minister" just entering 
upon his city pastorate, must now be completed by a 
description of the well-known New York divine, 
whose work is firmly established and whose position 
as a religious leader is now secure. 

And, first, let us take a somewhat casual view of 

95 



96 THE BRICK CHURCH 

him as he appeared to the outward eye and upon 
short acquaintance. Dr. Manasseh Cutler, in whose 
company we have already attended the church, will 
now introduce us to the parsonage. The date is 
July 7th, 1787, a Saturday. "Waited on Dr. 
Rodgers," says our escort, "and drank tea in com- 
pany with Dr. Ewing, Dr. Witherspoon, and several 
other clergymen. The Doctor urged me exceedingly 
to preach for him, at least a part of the day, on 
Sunday; but as the two Presidents* were in town, 
and I had just come off a long journey, prevailed 
on him to excuse me."f 

This cannot be regarded as more than a formal 
introduction, but on the following Monday we be- 
come a little more intimate. "Dined at Dr. Rodg- 
ers'," continues the journal at that point, "in com- 
pany with Dr. Witherspoon, Dr. Ewing, Dr. Mc- 
Courtland of Newark, Mr. Wilson, colleague with 
Dr. Rodgers, and two other gentlemen from the 
Southward, whose names I do not recollect. It 
seemed like a ministers* meeting. They appeared 
to be much of gentlemen, and I must do them the 
justice to say, I was treated with particular marks of 
attention, notwithstanding my being a New England 
man. Dr. Rodgers is certainly the most accom- 
plished gentleman, for a clergyman, not to except 
even Dr. Cooper, that I have ever been acquainted 
with," X and here we are presented at once to a 
characteristic that must always have counted much 
in the first impression of those who came into Dr. 

* Ewing, of the University of Pennsylvania, and Witherspoon, of the 
College of New Jersey. 

t Cutler's "Life," etc., Vol. I, p. 231. 
t Cutler's "Life," etc., Vol. I, pp. 236 /. 



THE SENIOR PASTOR 97 

Rodgers' presence, "the peculiar and uniform dignity 
of his manners."* He was plainly a clergyman of 
the old school, conscious of his position, grave in his 
demeanor, and carefully observant of formalities in 
his social intercourse. There is a tradition that 
"the last thing which he and his wife always did 
before retiring for the night was to salute each other 
with a bow and a courtesy." f This particular 
statement is possibly an invention, but of the reserve 
and dignity of the senior minister of the Presbyterian 
Church there is abundant testimony, and however 
much the fashion of such formal manners may now 
be out of date, they were in his day highly admired, 
and added, as Dr. Miller says, to his reputation and 
to his usefulness as a Christian clergyman. The 
same writer adds, indeed, that Dr. Rodgers was 
"often facetious and sportive," but these terms must 
be interpreted in the light of the somewhat serious 
temperament of the biographer himself. In fact, 
he adds that the " sportiveness " intended was of a 
sort that "was always remarkable for its taste and 
dignity." 

It is not difficult, then, to see before us Dr. Rodgers' 
stoutish figure, of medium height, walking with a 
majestic step among his neighbors and parishioners, 
dressed in clothes that were " invariably neat, elegant, 
and spotless." J To this last matter he always gave 

* "Rodgers Mem.," p. 338. 

t "N. Y. in 1789," p. 149 /. 

t "Rodgers Mem.," p. 341. "In this respect he resembled his friend 
and spiritual father, Mr, Whitefield, whose sayings and example on this 
subject he not infrequently quoted, and who often remarked that a min- 
ister of the gospel, in his dress as well as in everything else, ought to be 
'without spot.'" From a letter of Samuel Miller, quoted in Sprague's 
"Annals," Vol. Ill, p. 165. 



98 THE BRICK CHURCH 

careful attention. Washington Irving, whose family 
belonged to the Presbyterian Church in New York,* 
could in his old age still remember his father's pastor, 
"old Dr. Rodgers with his buzz wig, silver-mounted 
cane, w^ell-polished shoes, and silver buckles." f If 
we follow him into his parsonage at No. 7 Nassau 
Street, we find that "he lives in elegant style and 
entertains company as genteelly as the first gentlemen 
of the city." J We find, too, that, as his position 
deserved, he was on the "dinner and supper list" of 
Mrs. John Jay.§ 

These somewhat trivial details and scraps of old 
gossip will have served a good purpose, if they help 
us to see the man within the saint. For to Dr. 
Rodgers the latter title might without reservation be 
apj)lied, and it would be easy, in reading the long list 
of his virtues, to feel that he had been reduced to a 
sort of abstract perfection. But if we have once 
caught sight of him, as it were, have seen the man 
himself and felt his human relation to those about 
him, it will then be a task doubly profitable to set 
his virtues before us. 

Dr. Miller, his colleague and successor, to whom 
we are indebted for his biography, shall be our guide 
in summing up this good man's character and work.|| 
And, first, let it be said that at all the points where he 
touched the common life of the world, or shared in 
it, he maintained in himself a notably Christian 

* One of the burial vaults in front of the Beekman Street Church be- 
longed to his father, William Irving. 

t "Life and Times of Wtishington Irving," (1883), Vol. Ill, p. 260. 
t Cutler's "Life," etc.. Vol. I. p. 2:i7. 
vN "Mom. Hist of N. Y.," Vol. Ill, p. 99. 
II "Rodgers Mem.," Chapter IX. 




JOHN RODGERS 
From a painting in the possession of the church 



THE SENIOR PASTOR 99 

spirit. For instance, in the matter of money, which 
he did not lack, he was chiefly marked by his generous 
dispersion of it, and in spite of a prosperous career, 
not interrupted by any special financial losses, he 
succeeded in closing his earthly account with a 
smaller balance than he possessed at the time of his 
original settlement in New York. In like manner, 
when he shared, as he did, in the social intercourse of 
the city, he invariably brought with him such a tone, 
in conversation and behavior, as was worthy of his 
calling, and demanded that others should meet him 
on the same high plane. 

In his personal character he may best be described 
by a few large single words, rather than by much 
comment. He was disinterested: *'few men have 
ever been more free from private and selfish aims 
than he." He was upright in all the dealings of a 
life of over eighty years: "in no one instance was 
[his character] ever impeached:" every one who knew 
him believed in him. And he was a man of God: his 
goodness was the fruit of a deep and utterly sincere 
religion: "he seemed never, for a moment, to forget 
that he was a servant of Jesus Christ." 

In his work as a minister of the gospel, he was as- 
sisted not so much by great genius or extraordinary 
powers as by a "happy assemblage of practical qual- 
ities, both of the head and the heart," and his reward 
was something better than fame, namely, practical 
success in the work he had undertaken to do. One 
or two of his characteristics deserve a special com- 
ment in this connection. Together with a determined 
and not easily daunted spirit, he possessed a certain 
tactfulness, based on a strong sense of what was 



100 THE BRICK CHURCH 

both fair and kind, which enabled him to avoid the 
bitterness of controversy and strife. While most 
positive in his views, he was ever ready "to take by 
the hand, as Christian brethren, all who appeared to 
possess the spirit of Christ," and he was particularly 
reluctant to take upon himself the task of directly 
attacking even those with whom he most disagreed. 
'*You must excuse me," he said on one occasion to 
the officers of his church, when they urged him to take 
the errors of a certain sect for the subject of his 
sermon, "I cannot reconcile it with my sense either 
of policy or duty to oppose these people from the 
pulpit, otherwise than by preaching the truth plainly 
and faithfully. I believe them to be in error; but 
let us out-preach them, out-pray them, and out-live 
them, and we need not fear."* 

One can have but little doubt that the preach- 
ing of such a man would speak to the mind and con- 
science of his time. Its full value, however, would 
probably not be made evident by giving samples of it 
to a modern congregation, for times have changed. 
"Wlioever went to hear him at any time," says Dr. 
Miller with evident approval, "would be sure to find 
him dwelling on one or another of the following 
themes," and he proceeds to give a page of titles, such 
as "Total Depravity," "Sovereign Election," "The 
Divine Existence in a Trinity of Persons." Even the 
subjects which admit, and indeed invite, a practical 
treatment, are stated as propositions in theology. 
This, however, was exactly the method which the 
congregations of that day approved and expected, 
and the question of Dr. Rodgers' power as a preacher 

* Rodgers Mem. 



THE SENIOR PASTOR 101 

of Christianity is not to be determined by an appeal 
to modern taste, but by studying the historic church 
which by his preaching was built up in the faith. 

Of the manner of his preaching and the impression 
made by it upon an intelligent stranger we have a 
pleasing glimpse in Dr. Manasseh Cutler's journal, 
already quoted. The entry is as follows: " Sunday, 
July 22d. Attended public worship in the morning at 
the old Brick, in Wall Street.* Dr. Rodgers preached. 
He made no use of notes, but he arranged his subject 
very well; gave us a very pretty sermon on the first 
part of our Lord's Prayer. His address is easy, soft, 
and engaging — no display of oratory, so called. His 
style was pure, sentimental, and nervous, put plain 
and familiar. He made me think of Dr. Cooper." f 
Yet, after all, it may well be that preaching was 
but a small part of this strong man's influence. As 
one studies the record of his life, one cannot but be 
much impressed by those passages which point out his 
patient faithfulness in a multiplicity of occupations. 
One of these passages is peculiarly well adapted to 
the purpose of the present sketch of Dr. Rodgers' 
character and influence; for we are, of course, chiefly 
concerned here to learn as far as possible what it was 
that the Brick Church owed to the man who brought 

* This unexpected designation for the Wall Street Church is probably 
due to error, on the part either of Dr. Cutler or his editors. 

t Cutler's "Life," etc., Vol. I, p. 296. The journal entry for the even- 
ing of this same day is worth quoting for its own sake. "Attended a 
lecture at the Old Dutch Church. The sermon was delivered in Dutch 
with a great deal of vehemence and pathos, but whether it was good or bad 
I know not." Dr. Cutler had in the afternoon heard Mr. Wilson, the 
Presbyterian associate, whom he describes as methodical, but not, m his 
judgment, a good preacher, adding, however, by way of compensation that 
"he was very catholic in his sentiments." (Cutler's "Life," etc., Vol. I, 
p. 297.) 



102 THE BRICK CHURCH 

it into being and guided it through its first forty years, 
and this one paragraph, about to be quoted, goes far 
toward answering that question. 

"In preaching, in catechising, in attending on the 
sick and dying, in all the arduous labor of disci- 
pline and government, and in visiting from house to 
house, he went on with unceasing constancy from 
year to year, from the beginning to the end of his 
ministry. He not only abounded in ministerial 
labors; but he labored systematically, uniformly, 
and with unw^earied patience. Difficulties did not 
usually appall him. Delays did not discourage him. 
If he were totally disappointed in the result of his 
exertions in one case, he did not hastily conclude that 
all subsequent endeavors in similar cases would be 
useless. . . . Those who found him busily engaged 
in pursuing a certain regular and judicious course at 
one period, would be sure to find him after a series 
of years, pursuing with steady and undeviating steps 
the same course." * This is indeed a good description 
of "a w^ise master-builder," one who might be trusted 
to lay firm foundations. 

And now when he was nearly eighty years of age, 
and when it might be supposed that the time for rest 
had come, we find him still setting an example of 
energy and faithfulness. In 1805 he ^\Tites to a 
friend, "I am able, through divine goodness, to preach 
once every Lord's Day, and to do my full share of 
parochial duty." This was the spu'it that controlled 
him to the end. 

* "RodgersMem." 






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CHAPTER VIII 

THE SEPARATION: 1809 

" And Jonathan said to David. Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of 
us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between 
my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed. -1 Samuel 20 : 42. 

-No man, unquestionably, who witnessed the scene, would ever again lift his 
hand in favor of associating several congregations under the same pastors. — 
SAMUEL Miller. " Memoirs of John Rodgers." p. 274. 

IT will be remembered that in 1784, when the 
Presbyterian Church in New York was first 
incorporated, the official title selected was "The 
Corporation of the First Presbyterian Church in the 
City of New York." This choice was an indication, 
we are told,* that a second corporation, "of the New 
Church," was then thought to be a possibility. The 
law under which the papers were taken out provided 
that the estate held by each incorporated religious 
body must not exceed £1,200 per annum, gross 
revenue. It was in order to secure the larger liberty 
which in equity belonged to them as two congrega- 
tions that the Presbyterians at that time contemplated 
the future possibility of a separation of the financial 
affairs of their two churches. It will be remembered 
that ecclesiastically they were still one body, bound 
together in a so-called "collegiate arrangement," 
and so they continued for many a year. But with 
the practical financial difficulty, which, as just stated, 

♦ "Manuscript Hist.," p. 20. 

103 



104 THE BRICK CHURCH 

presented itself in 1784, there appears the first trace 
of that tendency toward an entire separation, which 
was to bear fruit after a quarter of a century had 
passed. 

It must not be supposed, however, that at that 
early date a complete separation was desired, even by 
those who saw the advantages of a two-fold financial 
organization. On the contrary, when, ten years later, 
it was definitely proposed to apply for the second 
charter, the ministers, elders, deacons, and trustees, 
after maturely weighing the subject, voted in the 
negative, on the very ground that such an action 
would necessarily create a separation of interest, 
which miffht in time result in a dissolution of the 
union between the two congregations, an event which 
would be deeply deplored by all.* They chose rather 
to apply to the Legislature for special permission to 
hold an estate of twice the usual amount, on the 
ground that they were in effect two churches, and in 
this they were successful. The act was passed on 
March 6th, 1793.t 

There were, however, two persons who even at this 
time were in favor of a dissolution of the collegiate 
arrangement. These were the two associate pastors, 
and, although in so decided a minority, they were out- 
spoken in their opinion and even presented the matter 
for formal discussion ; but their proposal was at that 
time emphatically and almost curtly rejected. Of the 
two, Dr. (then Mr.) Miller J was probably the more 
active in this matter. He had recently arrived and 

* "Manuscript Hist.," p. 25. 

t See also act of March 27th, 1801. 

I " Life of Samuel Miller," p. 265. 



THE SEPARATION 105 

had been at once impressed, perhaps annoyed, by the 
diflSculties inherent in the situation. He pointed out 
that every family in both churches expected and 
claimed visits from each pastor, so that the amount 
of work which could have been accomplished by a 
proper division of labor was rendered impossible. 
Still more unfortunate was the effect of certain par- 
tialities for one or another of the pastors, which 
tended to create unpleasant feeling and to divide the 
church. 

On the other hand, there were recognized advan- 
tages. The relation of Dr. Rodgers to both congre- 
gations, beloved as he was by every individual in 
them, made a mighty plea for its own continuance. 
And the people were content: they did not wish to 
change. This in itself was enough to determine that 
at that time no change should be made. 

Dr. Miller's opinion, however, did not alter. He 
still looked forward to the time when "the Siamese 
twins," as he called them, would be cut apart. With 
what success his arguments, aided no doubt by the 
force of circumstances, pleaded the cause of separa- 
tion during the next decade, is clearly seen in a set of 
resolutions adopted by the officers of the church in 
July, 1805. From these we learn that the extension 
of the collegiate system eight years before, to include 
a third church,* was by this time felt to be a some- 
what doubtful expedient. It is true that the officers 
voted to continue the union of the three congregations 
as " beneficial to the interests of the First Presbyterian 
Church," but only on certain rather radical condi- 
tions. The newest church, on Rutgers Street, was 

* See above, p. 85. 



106 THE BRICK CIHTxCH 

now to have a separate minister of its own, enjoying 
his entire and undivided services and paying his 
sahiry. It was also to pay henceforth all its own 
running expenses, instead of drawing on the general 
treasury, and it was to receive a certain fixed portion 
of the fees of the burial-ground and of the outstanding 
debts due to the corporation. It will be evident at 
once that so far as this third church was concerned 
the collegiate arrangement had by this new plan 
been reduced to a minimum. Except that it had 
no elders or deacons of its own, the Rutgers Street 
Church was henceforth a practically independent 
body. 

Three years later, in 1808. the tendency of public 
opinion again plainly declared itself. Still another 
new place of worship being then demanded by the 
increasing congregations of the First Presb}i:erian 
Church, an entirely separate organization was cre- 
ated. The relation of this new church on Cedar 
Street to the older collegiate churches * was as hearty 
as could be desired — Dr. Rodgers laid the corner- 
stone and preached the opening sermon — but the old 

* For the sake of clearness a list of all the Presbj-terian churches exist- 
ing at this time in the city is here given. 

(1) The First Presbyterian Church (1706). including: 

(a) The Wall Street Congregation (1719), now the old First 

Church; 

(b) The Brick Church Congregation (1767), now the Brick 

Church: 

(c) The Rut^rs Street Congre^tion (179S), now the Rutgers 

Riverside Church. 

(2) The First Associate Reformed Church, originally, and again later, 
called the Scotch Presbj-terian Church (1756), now at Central Park West 
and Ninety-sixth Street. 

(3) The Fourth Presbyterian, known for a time as the First Associate 
Presbj-terian Church (or^nized, 17S7. incorporated, 1S03), now at West 
End Avenue and Xinety-first Street. 



THE SEPARATION 107 

idea of an organic union had here been utterly aban- 
doned, and Dr. McKnight, in giving the charge to the 
new pastor'^ at his installation, pointedly congratu- 
lated him upon his good fortune in being the sole 
pastor of his church. 

The object-lesson, thus provided, of an independent 
organization "was doubtless," says Dr. [Miller, "one 
of the principal means employed by Providence for 
breaking up the system of 'collegiate charges.' .^ . . 
Though this system, wherever it exists, is injurious 
to the'body of the churches so united, and perplexing 
and discouraging to the ministers, ... yet where it 
has been in operation for forty or fifty years, and 
where its disruption must invade the feelmgs and 
prejudices of many individuals, none can expect to 
accomplish such a measure without much agitation 
and trouble. The establishment of the Cedar Street 
Church, toward the close of 1808, the unusual degree 
of success which attended the whole undertaking, 
the numerous advantages which soon began to dis- 
close themselves, as resulting from a separate pastoral 
charge, and the impression which these advantages 
made, silently but deeply, on the public mind— all 
tended at once to hasten and to facilitate the attempt 
to separate the old collegiate churches." f I* should 

(4) The second Associate Reformed Church (1797), originaUy a part of 
the Scotch Church, and bound to it in "coUegiate" organization untU 
1803. It now forms a part of the Central Church on West Fifty-seventh 

Street , 

(5) The Cedar Street Church (ISOS), referred to in the text, now the 

Fifth Avenue Presbj-terian Church. 

(6) The Orange Street Church was founded later in ISOS. It is now 
extinct. 

* The Rev. John B. Romeyn, from Albany, 
t '-Rodgers Mem.," pp. 420 /. 



108 THE BRICK CHURCH 

be added, on the other hand, that Dr. Rodgers, not 
unnaturally, was unable to see the necessity for any 
change. 

As early as December, 1808, the session adopted 
a resolution* requesting the elders, deacons, and 
trustees "to meet and confer together respecting the 
propriety and expediency of attempting a division of 
the First Presbyterian Church in the City of New 
York into three separately organized churches." 
Several such joint meetings were accordingly held, 
and the main proposition meeting with approval, the 
following ten articles f were proposed on March 27th, 
1809, by way of a definite plan of separation, espe- 
cially as related to the two older churches. The 
Rutgers Street Church seems to be concerned in but 
one of the articles (the fourth.) 

1st. The charity school-house and the lot of ground 
on which it stands shall continue to be held in com- 
mon, each church, when divided, to bear an equal 
proportion of the expenses of supporting the school, 
which shall be under the care of the ministers of the 
two churches and committees appointed by their 
boards of trustees. 

2d and 3d. The churches on Wall and Beekman 
streets, with the land on which they stand, shall be 
the sole property of their respective congregations. 

4th. The twenty-four lots purchased from James 
R. [or K.] Beekman for a burial ground shall be 
equally divided between the three churches. 

5th. The lot on Hester Street and any other real 

* From this point the minutes of the trustees and of the session of the 
Brick Church become our chief sources, 
t Given here in condensed form. 



THE SEPARATION 109 

estate held or claimed by the corporation of the two 
churches shall continue to be held in common. 

6th. All the personal estate belonging to the two 
churches shall be equally divided.* 

7th. Dr. McKnight shall take the parochial charge 
of the Brick Church, Dr. Miller of the Wall Street 
Church, and they are to interchange mutually as 
heretofore. 

8th. The Wall Street Church shall pay to the 
Brick Church $2,500. 

9th. The two churches shall share in paying Dr. 
Rodgers' salary ; Dr. McKnight's salary shall be paid 
by the Brick Church, and Dr. Miller's by the Wall 
Street Church. 

10th. The annuity of £100 from the lot on Robin- 
son Street shall be enjoyed by the senior pastor of the 
two churches forever. 

These articles were submitted first to the congrega- 
tions, separately, on Monday, April 3d, and on the 
following Thursday to a joint meeting held at the 
Wall Street Church. On this occasion the separation 
of the Rutgers Street Church from the other two, in 
regard to which there was general agreement, was 
determined upon. Besides the property already ap- 
propriated to the use of the people worshipping there, 
they were to receive one equal undivided part of the 
Beekman lots (see article 4th) and also, what the 
"articles" did not contemplate, *'such part of the 
personal estate of this corporation as may be justly 
due." The vote upon this question was unanimous. 

* On the basis of this article the people of the Brick Church supposed 
that they had a claim to half of the silver communion service. When their 
claim was asserted, however, in 1819, it was challenged, and for the sake of 
peace they felt constrained to abandon it. 



110 THE BRICK CHURCH 

But when the proposal to separate the two older 
churches w^as voted upon, it was lost by a vote of 
forty-seven to forty-six. 

The causes for this apparently hopeless disagree- 
ment are in part unknown to us. A chief difficulty, 
however, had certainly arisen in connection with the 
question of Dr. McKnight's future relation to the 
churches. Some of the Brick Church people were 
distinctly dissatisfied that he, rather than Dr. Miller, 
should now become their sole pastor. Dr. Mc- 
Knight, on his side, was even more emphatic in ex- 
pressing dissatisfaction w'ith his assignment to the 
Brick Church. It is evident that a letter from him, 
proposing to resign altogether, w^as an important 
cause of the adverse vote of iVpril 6th. 

All that could be done w^as to appoint a committee 
to "consult on the present unhappy state of affairs in 
the two churches, and make report to the two congre- 
gations." This committee, after considering all 
means of "restoring harmony," recommended the 
adoption of the original plan of March 27th, and at 
the same time provided that an endeavor be made 
to convince Dr. Mc Knight "of the sincere love and 
esteem of the congregations for him" and to gain his 
acquiescence and, if possible, his support. 

In one respect this committee failed in its purpose. 
It could not persuade Dr. McKnight to alter his de- 
cision : he persisted in resigning. But the continued 
canvassing of the matter among the congregation, 
by changing the views of some and arousing many to 
action who had not been heard from at all in the first 
instance, opened the way to a practical solution of the 
main problem. At a second meeting of the congrega- 



THE SEPARATION 111 

tion, held on April 12th, the general subject of separa- 
tion being put to vote without debate, it was found 
that ninety-two were in favor as against seventy-six 
opposed. The original plan, with such modifications, 
of course, as were necessitated by the previous 
separation of the Rutgers Street Church and by Dr. 
McKnight's complete withdrawal, was then adopted; 
and at last this "perplexed and embarrassing situa- 
tion" was brought to an end. 

The Presbytery of New York, meeting two weeks 
later, approved in two separate articles the formation 
of the Rutgers Street congregation into a distinct and 
independent church, and the separation of the Wall 
Street and Brick churches one from the other.* 
At the same time they granted the request of Dr. 
McKnight, that the pastoral relation between him 
and the united Presbyterian congregations of New 
York be dissolved. It is noted that in this the con- 
gregations concurred "with great reluctance." f 

In conformity with these proceedings Dr. Rodgers 
and seven of the Presbyterian elders, J namely, Abra- 
ham Van Gelder, John Thompson, Thomas Ogilvie, 
Benjamin Egbert, William Frazer, John Bingham, 

* The separation had already been authorized by an act of Legislature, 
February 17th, 1809. 

t The excellent effects of the separation were in a short time very appar- 
ent. Dr. Miller, who afterward was inclined to believe that his own part 
in this matter was his greatest service to the Presbyterian Church in New 
York, wrote in 1813: "The writer is persuaded that he is chargeable with 
no exaggeration, when he asserts that all the churches which were once 
united have become more flourishing since they were separated, and that 
in the period of four years since that event occurred nearly double the 
number of members has been added to the aggregate Presbyterian body in 
New York than was ever added to it in a similar period before." ("Rod- 
gers Mem.," p. 422. Cf. also " Life of Samuel Miller.") 

% See Appendices C and D, pp. 517, 519. 



112 THE BRICK CHURCH 

and John Mills were constituted a new session for the 
Brick Church, and that body held its first meeting on 
Monday evening, May 1st, 1809. Besides arranging 
to pay $15 * a Sunday for the supply of their now 
vacant pulpit (Dr. Rodgers was too old to preach), 
they on that occasion nominated Samuel Osgood 
and William Whitlock for the office of elder. These 
two gentlemen, who were shortly afterward ordained, 
thus belonged practically to the first session of the 
independent church. 

Of the five Presbyterian deacons f at the time of the 
separation three, namely, Mr. Richard Cunningham, 
Mr. Hutchins and Mr. Miller, became deacons of the 
Brick Church, and began their work there with the 
sum of $75.87, brought over from the old treasury. 

The trustees J who composed the original board 
must also be given by name. They were Samuel 
Osgood, John R. Murray, John Mills, Benjamin 
Egbert, John Bingham, Grove Wright, Richard Cun- 
ningham, John Adams and Peter Bonnett. Their 
first act was to adopt as the official title "The Cor- 
poration of the Brick Presbyterian Church in the City 
of New York." Immediately their minutes indicate 
activity in many directions. They divide themselves 
up into committees on finance, on repairs, and on the 
charity school. They appoint a collector of pew- 
rents. They provide for the erection of a fence about 
the church, consisting of a stone basement twelve 
inches high, surmounted with wooden pales. They 
secure the right to build burial vaults in the church- 

* This was later increased $5 by the trustees for supplies from New 
Jersey or Long Island. 

t See Appendix E, p. 520. 

i See Appendices F, G, H, and I, pp. 522, 524, 525, 526. 



THE SEPARATION 113 

yard and proceed to build and to sell them. They 
provide for a division of the burying-ground together 
with its appurtenances, such as the hearse-house, the 
hearse, and the silk and the cotton palls. They 
appoint James Forrester as teacher of the charity 
school at a salary of $250. Several of these items 
refer to subjects which will demand fuller attention 
in later chapters, but at present it is necessary to turn 
to the one great task which now confronted the whole 
church, the calling of a pastor. 



J 



PART TWO 
THE LONG PASTORATE 



CHAPTER IX 

THE CALL OF GARDINER SPRING: 1809- 

1810 

" And Micah said unto him, Whence comest thou? And he said unto him, I am 
a Le\'ite of Bethlehem-Judah, and I go to sojourn where I may find a place. And 
Micah said unto him. Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest." — 
Judges 17:9/. 

" It appeared to my own mind the call of the great Head of the Church to a 
field of labor too important to be compared with others." — Gardiner Spring. 
"The Brick Church Memorial," p. 14. 

IT must be confessed that the independent life 
of the Brick Church did not begin under 
very favorable auspices. The separation which 
created it had been opposed by a considerable minor- 
ity. As a result the church was to some extent di- 
vided. Except the decay of faith and morals, nothing 
is more destructive of a church's welfare than division 
of this sort. By it every action of the church is 
hindered, and especially the work of choosing a pastor 
becomes, under such circumstances, a very diflScult 
matter. 

This proved abundantly true in the case of the 
Brick Church. Moreover, it was soon discovered 
that, not unnaturally, the conditions then existing did 
not prove attractive to such men as were invited to 
consider the pastorate. The Rev. John Brown, of 
North Carolina, being earnestly requested by the 
session to make the church a visit "with a view to 
further measures," sent word through Dr. Miller 

117 



118 THE BRICK CHURCH 

"that his engagements were such that he could not 
make a visit to the city of New York." In September 
a congregational meeting issued a unanimous call to 
the Rev. John McDowell, of Elizabethtown, N. J., 
at a salary of $2,000, but this promising step led to 
nothing. The elders who had been appointed to 
prosecute the call before Presbjlery reported that 
they were unsuccessful and that the call had been 
returned. But the persistency of the session and 
their promptness in bringing forward a new candidate 
were certainly admirable. In November they had 
secured the Rev. Andrew Yates, of East Hartford, 
Conn., as supply for the Brick Church pulpit, and 
in the same month he also was unanimously called. 
Not until January, 1810, was it learned that disap- 
pointment must again be borne. The Council of 
Congregational Churches called to consider Mr. 
Yates's removal to New York were of the opinion 
that his present pastoral relation should not be dis- 
solved, and in their decision he acquiesced. 

The next name that came before the session was 
that of the Rev. Lyman Beechcr, then of East Hamp- 
ton, Long Island. It is interesting to think that the 
father of Henry Ward Beecher and Harriet Beecher 
Stowe, might have been chosen at this time to guide 
the fortunes of the Brick Church. He had supplied 
the pulpit twice in December, and at that time had 
written to his wife, "if the city clergymen alone were 
concerned [I] should, I was given to understand, be 
gladly stationed among them."* Two months later, 
on February 10th, he tells the result of a later visit. 
He says, "I preached three Sabbaths in New York 

* "Autobiography of Lyman Beecher," Vol. I, p. 179. 



THE CALL OF GARDINER SPRING 119 

'or the Brick Church, and came as near having a call 
IS the fellow did being killed who came to the field 
he day after the battle." * This statement was per- 
laps not quite just to himself, for after his visit the 
proposal to call him was by no means summarily 
lismissed. At four separate meetings of the session 
)r of all the officers of the church together the question 
)f calling Mr. Beecher was under discussion, but 
;uch a decided and persistent difference of opinion 
vas discovered that the matter was never brought 
before the congregation. A friend, writing to Mr. 
Beecher from New York, says that the opposition 
^ame chiefly from two of the trustees, others voting 
vith them in the negative chiefly for the sake of pre- 
ierving harmony, and that in his judgment three- 
juarters of the congregation were disappointed in the 
)utcome.t At any rate no pastor had yet been 
lecured. 

It is certainly no wonder that after such prolonged 
iiscouragement the difficulty of uniting upon a pastor 
lad increased. In May the session passed a resolu- 
ion which reveals the truly pathetic state of this 
)astorless church. A committee of two was " author- 
zed to proceed to Philadelphia so as to be there 
before, or as soon as, the General Assembly meets, 
md make application to any of the Presbyterian 
ninisters that may be convened there, whose piety 
md talents would in their judgment render him ac- 
ceptable to the congregation of the Brick Church, and 
earnestly solicit such minister to make said church a 
dsit for two or three Sabbaths with a view to a perma- 

* "Autobiography of Lyman Beecher," Vol. I, p. 183. 
t Ibid., Vol. I, p. 188. 



120 THE BRICK CHURCH 

nent settlement as pastor of said congregation; and in 
case they should not find any minister there, suitably 
qualified, that would be willing to come, that they 
make inquiry of the ministers present, and if they 
received well-grounded information respecting any 
minister whose piety and talents would probably 
make him acceptable to the congregation of the Brick 
Church, that they take such measures for procuring 
a visit from such minister as they may think proper 
either by writing or by personal application."* 

Before this humble quest, in search of some one to 
take pity on their need, could be carried out, a young 
man, who was passing through the city on his way 
to the meeting of the Assembly, and who preached 
at an evening lecture in the Cedar Street Church in 
the absence of Dr. Romeyn, was heard by a number 
of Brick Church people, and made upon them a 
favorable impression. This was Mr. Gardiner 
Spring, a candidate for the ministry, who had just 
completed his theological studies at Andover.f A 
few days later, after he had returned from Phila- 
delphia, he was invited to preach for three Sabbaths 
in the Brick Church. The instructions to the com- 
mittee appointed to invite him seem to suggest the 
same chastened spirit and sensitiveness in regard to a 
possible rebuff which have already been observed. 
The committee is "to call on Mr. Spring and to re- 
quest him to inform them whether it will be con- 
venient for him to accept the invitation for that 

* At the meeting when this resohition was passed it was also voted to 
invite the Rev. Mr. Speece, of Virginia, to visit the church, but of this 
nothing came. 

t "The Life and Times of Gardiner Spring," by himself, now becomes 
an important source. 



THE CALL OF GARDINER SPRING 121 

number of Sabbaths, and if not, how many Sabbaths 
he can supply their pulpit." 

He made his first appearance in the Brick Church 
at the Sunday morning service on June 3d, 1810, 
when he preached from the text, "Wherefore come 
ye out from among them, and be ye separate, and 
touch not the unclean thing, and I will be a Father 
unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, 
saith the Lord of Hosts." Immediately after this 
service the session met in the church and voted that 
at the close of the services that very afternoon and 
evening a notice be read, calling a meeting of the pew- 
holders and stated hearers on the next day at noon, 
to consider the propriety of making out a call for 
Mr. Gardiner Spring to be the stated pastor of the 
church. The meeting was held at the time appointed, 
the call was unanimously voted at a salary of $2,500,* 
a year, and almost immediately came through Mr. 
John Mills, the senior elder, the good tidings that Mr. 
Spring intended to accept. If in the relation between 
church and minister there is ever such a thing as love 
at first sight, this was certainly an instance of it. 

It must have been gratifying to the somewhat dis- 
couraged and humiliated church to know that the 
delay of a month in Mr. Spring's more formal ac- 
ceptance f was due to the fact that in courtesy he 

* In the signed copy sent to the pastor-elect and now in the possession 

of the church, the figure was originally $2,000, the extra $500 being added 

by an interlineation. 

t The text of the acceptance was as follows : 

" Andover, July 6th, 1810. 

"To the Congregation of the Brick Presbyterian Church in the City of 
New York. 

"Dear Brethren: 

"Your communication containing a call to me to 
settle among you as a gospel minister has been the subject of advice, prayer, 



122 THE BRICK CHURCH 

must first dispose of two other calls, from Andover 
and the Park Street Church, Boston, and also a 
request to entertain a call from New Haven. But, 
no doubt, their own personal assurance that they had 
found the right man was enough to satisfy them. 
He himself, it is true, speaking in later years of the 
sermons preached by him in the Brick Church on 
that momentous third of June, said that he had 
*' often been filled with wonder that these two jejune 
and puerile discourses should have decided the 
question on which so many interests depended." * 
The fact was, probably, that the young preacher was 
chosen for himself rather than for his sermons, and, 
moreover, back of all such explanations, as he himself 
said, "the hand of God was in the whole proceeding." 
Like the proverbial "course of true love" the 
necessary preliminaries to the formal settlement of 
the^new pastor did not "run smooth." For a time 
it seemed as though the banns might yet be forbidden. 
When Mr. Spring was examined before the Presby- 
tery, many heads were doubtfully shaken over the 
question of his orthodoxy. "My trial sermon," he 
says, "was a frank avowal of my sentiments, and a 

and serious deliberation. I hereby accept it. Believe me, dear brethren, 

that I feel thankful for the unmerited attention and respect which a call 

from 60 respectable a congregation has manifested. By the blessing of 

God I hope to be with you in the course of a few weeks. I have given 

myself up to God. Without recalling that act, I now give myself to you. 

Pray for me, fathers and brethren, that I may be sent in the fulness of the 

blessings of the gospel of peace. 

"Wishing you grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and the 

Lord Jesus Christ, 

" I am, dear brethren, 

"Your servant in the Lord, 

"Gardiner Spring." 

*"Br. Ch. Mem.,"p. 13. 



fL P^u^^']-^^ /^A-< ji^lf^-^ c^^^ -- ^ ^-f -^ 
y^'^ *^ - *-<^»vi^»?4'^>«- - — -^- — • — 



FAC 



•SIMILE OF THE CALL OF GARDINER SPRING 



THE CALL OF GARDINER SPRING 123 

bold and unequivocal statement of the views I then 
entertained upon the subject of human ability," a 
burning question in that day. Had not Dr. Miller 
declared that he himself must be included in any 
condemnation of Mr. Spring's views on this matter, 
it is likely that an adverse vote would have resulted. 
As it was, the ultra-orthodox comforted themselves 
by the reflection that the gentleman was young and 
that a better acquaintance with Presbyterianism 
would soon modify his views. Dr. Milledoler, who 
was one of the first to attempt to acquaint him more 
fully with the Presbyterian system, and to produce 
the expected modification, is said to have exclaimed, 
at the close of a prolonged discussion, that in his 
judgment the best way of curing a man of such views 
as those which Mr. Spring obstinately professed was 
to dip his head in cold water. This incident, how- 
ever, occurred at a slightly later date, and meantime 
on Wednesday, August 8th, 1810, Mr. Spring was 
ordained and installed in the Brick Church. On 
that occasion Dr. Milledoler preached the sermon, 
and Dr. Miller and Dr. Romeyn delivered the charges 
to the pastor and to the congregation respectively. 
Dr. Rodgers was present and united with the others 
in "the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery." 
The pastorate thus begun was destined to last for 
more than sixty years. 

Mr. Spring was of New England ancestry. His 
father, the Rev. Samuel Spring, of Newburyport, 
Mass., was a man of ability and influence. He had 
served with credit as Chaplain in the Revolutionary 
War, accompanying Arnold's army on the arduous 
expedition to Quebec, and his subsequent call to the 



124 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Congregational Church in Newburyport, on the 
strength of the single sermon preached by him to the 
colonial soldiers on the eve of the expedition's depart- 
ure, was not unlike his son's call to the Brick Church. 
His entire life was given to the ministry in Newbury- 
port and to the duties which grew out of his position 
there. Perhaps his greatest public service was ren- 
dered in connection with the founding of Andover 
Seminary and of the American Board of Commission- 
ers of Foreign Missions. Of the spirit which, in 
addition to his undoubted talents, made him a suc- 
cessful minister of the gospel, enough perhaps is said 
in quoting the remark of one of his hearers: "I love 
to hear Mr. Spring pray, because he prays as though 
he loved God." * 

For his mother Gardiner Spring always cherished 
a very tender affection. "She was a sweet mother," 
he says of her. "She was our earthly refuge. The 
church loved her as much as they did their pastor. 
The whole town, with all their denominational differ- 
ences, loved and respected Mrs. Dr. Spring. She 
was at the head of their charitable institutions, alike 
honored by the rich and sought after by the poor." f 

From both his parents Mr. Spring had received the 
most thorough Christian training, and their influence 
upon his later religious life can hardly be overstated. 
It is reassuring, however, to learn that he was a real 

* His epitaph is suggestive. It reads in part: "A man of an original 
and vigorous mind, distinguished for a deep sense of human depravity, 
and especially of his own unworthiness, and for his exalted views of the 
character and perfections of God the Redeemer; of great integrity, firm- 
ness, benevolence and urbanity; an able, faithful and assiduous pastor, an 
example to the flock over which he was placed; a kind husband, a tender 
father, and a sincere friend." 

t "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 51. 



THE CALL OF GARDINER SPRING 125 

boy before he was a good one. Our evidence comes 
from his own pen when he was over eighty years of 
age, and it is in a tone of self-accusation that he 
writes; but, reading between the lines, it is possible 
for us to take a somewhat more genial view of the 
youthful perversity which he confesses. "I was 
born," he says, "in the town of Newburyport on the 
24th of February, 1785. I recollect nothing of my 
infancy, very little of my childhood, and nothing so 
early as my proneness to evil. As far back as I can 
remember anything, I can remember that I was a 
selfish, wilful boy, and very impatient of restraint. 
As I grew to riper years, my sinful tendencies were 
expressed, sometimes in bold and sometimes in de- 
ceitful forms. ... I was by nature a child of wrath. 
... I had no outwardly vicious habits, but was 
impatient of control, and thought it a hard and severe 
discipline that I was not allowed to enjoy the ordinary 
amusements of boys of my age, and only wished that 
I was old enough and strong enough to flee out of my 
father's hands." * And yet, when at the "ripe" age 
of twelve, he was sent away to school, he soon showed, 
according to his own confession, a quite different 
character. "I had no heart for study," he says, "I 
had no heart for anything but homer ■\ We may 
say, then, that at the outset he had the good fortune 
to be very much like other boys of his age. 

He was not so fortunate in the fact that his studies 
were unduly pushed, so that he entered Yale College % 
when he was but fifteen years old, the youngest of 

* "Life and Times," Vol. I, pp. 74-76. 
t Ibid., Vol. I, p. 76. 

X He tells us that in the college "at that time there were but three pro- 
fessors." Ibid., Vol. II, p. 285. 



126 THE BRICK CHURCH 

his class. He was, he tells us, "a severe student and 
as ambitious as Caesar," * and the result was that 
his eyesight was injured and his health impaired, so 
that he was forced to drop out of college for a year, 
and finally graduated in 1805. He was the valedic- 
torian of his class, and in his address, he says, was 
"foolish and wicked enough to adopt the vainglorious 
maxim Aut Ccesar, aut nullus.''-\ 

The boy of twenty who thus once more assures us 
that he was entirely human, had, during his college 
course, passed through a very decided religious 
experience. During a revival in the college he had 
been led to give to the subject of religion a measure 
of that awful consideration which was then regarded 
as indispensable. He speaks particularly of one Satur- 
day afternoon which he devoted entirely to prayer, 
endeavoring to reach the assurance that he had se- 
cured the divine mercy. "There," he says, "in the 
south entry of the old college, back side, middle room, 
third story, I wrestled with God as I had never 
wrestled before." % For a month he thought he had 
succeeded in his purpose, and then on the Fourth of 
July "marvellous to be told, amid the arrangements 
and speeches, the songs and glee of that memorable 
day, my religious hopes and impressions all vanished^ 
as *a morning cloud, and as the early dew.'"*^ It is 
noteworthy that although he did not "abandon [his] 
closet nor forsake the society of [his] religious class- 
mates," || he now considered that he was leading a 
distinctly irreligious life. This belief was strength- 

♦ "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 78. t Ibid., Vol. I, p. 82. 
: Ibid., Vol. I, p. 80. § Ibid., Vol. I, p. 81. 

II Ibid., Vol. I, p. 81. 



THE CALL OF GARDINER SPRING 127 

ened by the fact that at the time of another revival in 
the college during the next summer, though he 
"rejoiced to see so many students pressing into the 
kingdom of God," he himself felt that he had "no 
lot nor part in this matter." * 

It will probably seem to readers of the present day 
that a less wooden conception of the process of con- 
version than was then current would at once have 
assured this young man of the essential Christianity 
of his thoughts and purposes; but the extreme con- 
scientiousness, which the old view inculcated, cer- 
tainly played a most important part in the building 
up of that stalwart Christianity by which our grand- 
parents were distinguished, and unless we have some 
knowledge of these passages in the early experience 
of Mr. Spring we shall not be prepared to understand 
some of the strongest and most characteristic elements 
of his later life and work. 

On leaving college he began to prepare himself for 
the profession of the law, but this was shortly after 
interrupted by an opportunity to go as school-teacher 
to the island of Bermuda. One of his letters, written 
while in that position, displays in the most singular 
manner the religious perplexities in which he was 
then involved. At one and the same time he first 
expresses in the most feeling terms his inclination to 
turn to the ministry as his life-work, and then with 
equal force declares his haunting fear that he is not 
even a Christian. He tells frankly the best and the 
worst about himself, as far as he is able to see them. 
The best could hardly be better, and the worst was 
not so bad after all. "I am attached to the world," 

* "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 82. 



128 THE BRICK CHURCH 

he confesses, "I am avaricious; and in the present 
state of my family, make money my god. I strain 
honesty as far as I can to gain a little. ... I serve 
God and Mammon."* 

One clause in these damaging accusations informs 
us of an important element of the story. The 
"family," to which he refers, consisted of his young 
wife and their son, three months old. For Mr. 
Spring, while still in New Haven, had fallen in love. 
Miss Susan Barney was a pupil at the weekly singing 
school; Gardiner Spring was the teacher; and 
" before I was aware of the attachment," he says, " my 
heart was led captive by one who had captivated more 
hearts than mine."t 

When he first went to Bermuda, however, he was 
so ill provided in a financial way, that marriage was 
as yet out of the question : indeed, it is evident that his 
acceptance of a position so far away, and out of the 
line of his intended profession, was influenced by his 
desire to provide as soon as possible the necessary 
income. Even when, in the spring of 1806, he claimed 
his bride, making a hasty journey to Connecticut 
for that purpose, and taking her back with him im- 
mediately to Bermuda, his circumstances could not 
be called affluent. He was still teaching and saving 
money, at a little place called the Salt Kettle, when he 
wrote the letter to his father already quoted, and one 
may conclude therefore that the conditions and 
problems of his life, quite as much as original sin, 
accounted for that attachment to the world and alarm- 
ing avarice which he there confesses. But at last 

* "Life and Times," Vol. I, pp. 87 /. 
t Ibid., Vol. I, p. 88. 



THE CALL OF GARDINER SPRING 129 

enough money was saved to enable them to return to 
America. In New Haven, Mr. Spring resumed the 
study of the law, and in December, 1808, he was 
admitted to the bar. 

It was not until now that this essentially good man, 
who, both in his outward observance and in his 
inward purposes, had been living a life of which many 
Christians might be envious, thought himself fitted 
to unite with the church. The truth was that he 
was at the same time prepared for a still further step, 
though he did not at once realize it. The state of 
his own mind was revealed to him by the sermon 
preached at the college commencement in 1809, at 
which he was present to take his degree of A.M. 
and to deliver an oration. The sermon, preached 
by the Rev. Dr. John M. Mason, started from the 
text, "To the poor the gospel is preached," and to 
tell in a sentence its overpowering effect upon Mr. 
Spring, he left the church possessed by the one thought 
that he must devote his life to the preaching of the 
gospel of Jesus Christ. 

It was, as may be imagined, no easy task for a 
husband and a father to make so radical a change, 
to abandon the law for which he had now prepared 
himself and enter upon a preparation for the totally 
different profession of the ministry. His wife, how- 
ever, when after some delay he told her of his purpose, 
rose to the occasion in a brave spirit of loyalty which 
must have greatly cheered him, and which was all 
the more creditable to her in that she did not at that 
time entirely share his convictions. 

The new seminary at Andover was the place chosen 
by Mr. Spring for his theological studies, and there. 



130 THE BRICK CHURCH 

in the extraordinarily short period of eight months, 
he completed his preparation. During that time he 
had for a number of weeks supplied the pulpit at 
Marblehead, and for this purpose he had written 
eight sermons. With these as his visible equipment, 
and with such preparation of head and heart as he 
had received from his home-life, from his own reflec- 
tion and experience, and from his brief period of 
study at Andover, he set out, being now twenty-five 
years of age, on the journey to Philadelphia which 
led him, by God's providence, to the pulpit of the 
Brick Church. 



CHAPTER X 

THE TEMPORALITIES: 1810-1850 

" I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, 
and for all that shall be dona therein." — Ezekiel 44 : 14. 

"The house does not belong to us, but to him; and therefore we are bound to 
husband the property entrusted to us, for the best interests of his kingdom." — 
Gardiner Spring, "The Brick Church Memorial," p. 39. 

THE period of forty years upon which we now 
enter is crowded with events, and we are 
fortunately provided with full information 
in regard to it, so that we shall be able to follow the 
history in all necessary detail. It would not, however, 
be desirable to proceed by a strictly chronological 
method. Various interests of the church developed 
side by side, and it would be only confusing to attempt 
to deal with them all together in one interwoven 
narrative. It will be best, therefore, to treat each 
main group of subjects in a separate chapter, with 
the understanding that each of these chapters covers 
the same period, and that the events and develop- 
ments described in any one of them were contem- 
porary with those described in the others. This 
arrangement is the more feasible because the whole 
period may be regarded as a unit : it was not divided 
into parts by any events of critical importance, but 
consisted of one continuous development. 

The material may be conveniently divided into 
five parts; first, the temporalities of the church, its 

131 



132 THE BRICK CHURCH 

lands, buildings, and general finances; second, the 
work of the minister as pastor and theologian; third, 
the church's religious and moral progress; fourth, 
the history of the church's schools for secular and 
religious instruction; and fifth, the growth in the 
church of missionary and philanthropic enterprise. 
The present chapter, then, will be devoted to the 
first of these five divisions, and will give an account 
of the changes which took place, during the first 
forty years of Gardiner Spring's pastorate, in the 
lands and buildings upon and within which the history 
of the Brick Church was enacted, and of its financial 
problems and achievements during that period. 

The interior of the church itself first demands our 
attention. WTiether in 1810 the old pulpit, lifted 
high on its supporting post, still existed, is not certain. 
Mention of the fact that in 1813 certain ladies had 
presented "the curtains for the pulpit," combined 
with our knowledge that after the pulpit had been 
changed to a platform against the rear wall, with the 
usual desk, curtains were then hung across the win- 
dow behind it, leads us to suspect that the change 
may have been made at that date. On the other hand, 
in 1822 extensive repairs were undertaken with the 
express purpose of rendering the church more easy to 
speak in, and we learn, incidentally, that these repairs 
involved the removal of certain pews, all of which 
might readily suggest some change in the pulpit. 
In any case, the change was made at some time dur- 
ing this period. 

One other relic of antiquity was early removed. 
The two *' Governor's pews" for the use of strangers, 
had in 1811 been exchanged for six of the ordinary 



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GROUND-PLAN OF THE BRICK CHURCH ON BEEKMAN 
STREET AS ALTERED IN 1822 



THE TEMPORALITIES 133 

size. A few years later the addition of some form 
of mahogany trimming for the pews throughout the 
church was authorized, and no doubt added a good 
deal to the general appearance. Indeed, any modest 
adornment must have been welcome, one would think, 
in that severely plain apartment, whose main features, 
the whitewashed walls and the plain glass windows 
with interior shutters, made a somewhat cheerless 
effect. Even the mahogany trimmings did not satisfy 
some of the worshippers, who accordingly introduced, 
of their own accord, certain decorative changes in 
the pews which they had rented. This led to a 
curious declaration of the trustees in 1824, in which 
they ''discountenanced, not to say prohibited, the 
lining of pews with green cloth or painting them 
the same color." In 1840 the trustees themselves 
caused the pews to be lined, but the color is not 
mentioned. 

There was in the church one decorative feature 
which must not be overlooked. This was a shield 
surrounded by conventional foliage, carved in wood 
and painted in white and gold. Upon it was in- 
scribed in gold letters the words Holiness to the 
Lord. It was placed over the high window behind 
the pulpit, and no doubt in those days, as in later 
times when it was removed to a corresponding posi- 
tion in the church on Thirty-seventh Street,* it 
offered a grateful object of study to the wandering 
eyes of the children of the congregation. 

How was the church lighted in the early days of 
the nineteenth century ? A bill of over <£30 for 

* Though no longer a part of the church's decorations, it is still pre- 
served, together with the large clock from the downtown church. 



134 THE BRICK CHURCH 

candles paid in 1813 gives us our answer.* Five 
years later brass lamps were proposed, and after a 
year of consideration they were installed, a row with 
reflectors ranged along the wall in the galleries, and 
others, for lighting the main floor, suspended from 
the gallery fronts. In 1830 the lamps were in their 
turn disposed of, and gas was introduced. 

During the first part of this period the heating of 
the church was by stoves. Some £23 were paid for 
their erection in 1810, and it may be that until that 
time the worshippers had had no other source of heat 
during the long services than the old-fashioned foot- 
warmers. In 1813 two "Russian" stoves were pro- 
vided, but four months later, whether because of ob- 
jection to stoves in general or dislike of the particular 
design chosen, it was ordered that "the committee 
who were appointed to have stoves erected in the 
church be directed to have them removed." With 
the coming spring the matter was then dropped for 
the time, but the frosts of the next December produced 
the following resolution: "AMiereas it is represented 
that a number of persons who worship in the Brick 
Church are desirous that stoves should be erected 
in said church, . . . Resolved that stoves be erected." 
This time they remained, and at about the period 
when gas was introduced we hear also of furnaces. f 
By that time the idea that worship was best carried on 
under a certain degree of bodily discomfort had given 
way to the more luxurious modern view. 

We now pass to the outside of the building and 

♦The candles were supported in brass "chandeliers," this word then 
having its true etymological significance. 

I Croton water was introduced ten j'ears later, 




SHIELD FROM THE BRICK CHURCH ON 
BEEKMAN STREET 




INTERIOR OF THE BRICK CHURCH ON BEEKMAN STREET IN ITS 
FINAL STATE 



THE TEMPORALITIES 135 

consider first its surroundings. Its situation was 
certainly attractive, for the City Hall Park, which 
formed its western boundary, was probably, in the 
early years of Dr. Spring's pastorate, the most attrac- 
tive part of the entire city. The City Hall, which 
still ranks among the most admirable of New York's 
buildings, was completed in 1812, while the Park 
itself during this period "is described as having been 
a beautiful place, the walks and grass-plots being 
trimly kept, and shaded by groves of elm, poplar, 
willow and eucalyptus." * Fronting upon it were 
some of the most important buildings of the city in 
that day, such as the New York Gardens, Mechanics' 
Hall, the London Hotel, the Park Theatre, then the 
city's most fashionable place of amusement, and 
Tammany Hall, besides the Brick Church; while 
St. Paul's Chapel stood opposite the Park's southern 
point, for in those fortunate days the open space in- 
cluded the site of the present post-office. 

But what was the external appearance of the Brick 
Church itself.? The wooden pale fence, erected, as 
we have seen, in 1809, continued till 1840, when an 
iron railing succeeded it. f The earlier structure, 
besides its natural use in protecting the property, 
served several picturesque purposes. To it were 
fastened the chains which, from 1810, were on Sun- 
days extended across Nassau and Beekman streets 
in order to prevent any noise of traffic from dis- 
turbing the services. Against it, moreover, were 
placed the stands and booths of fruit- and oyster- 

* "Mem. Hist., of N. Y.," Vol. Ill, p. 202. 

t When the church was finally torn down, this fence was removed to 
the place of Mr. J. T. Stranahan, in South Brooklyn, where it is still 
standing. 



136 THE BRICK CHURCH 

sellers, and especially of the petty dealers whose rich 
harvest-time was the third and fourth of July. From 
1828 there are frequent indications that these en- 
croachments upon the church's property were making 
the life of the sexton* miserable. What is of more 
importance, the same facts suggest that by that time 
the Brick Church was beginning to be "down- 
town." On the other hand, the mention in 1815 
(not many years before) of a willow tree on the church 
grounds, whose limbs overhung the street and oc- 
casionally needed trimming, reminds us that the 
scene would nevertheless have looked rural enough to 
modern New Yorkers. 

Standing on Beekman Street, we look up at the 
front of the church and are at once reminded that its 
well-proportioned steeple was nearly destroyed soon 
after the coming of Mr. Gardiner Spring. On 
Sunday morning. May 19th, 1811, a destructive fire 
broke out in the region northeast of the Green, and, 
before it could be extinguished, burned nearly a 
hundred buildings. In the midst of the conflagration 
flying embers set fire to the wooden steeple of the 
Brick Church, and it seemed to the onlookers that at 
least a portion of the building, perhaps the whole of it, 

* A few facts regarding the sexton's office may be of interest. By a 
minute of the trustees in 1814, it was declared to be the duty of the sexton 
"to attend to ringing of the bell, opening, sweeping, dusting, and lighting 
the church; and sweeping and cleaning the streets adjacent, as required by 
law; opening, sweeping, and lighting the session room, at all such times 
as are now usual in the day or evening, for the accommodation of the 
session, trustees, lectures, and prayer-meetings of the church." At the 
same time his salary was fi.xed at $125 per annum, while "other emolu- 
ments arising from the church," such as burial fees, for instance, were 
guaranteed to amount to $225 more. During a large part of this period 
the sexton was also collector of pew-rents, for which service he received 
five per cent, on collections. See Appendix K, p. 528. 



THE TEMPORALITIES 137 

was doomed. How the blaze was extinguished is 
made plain by the following notice which was ordered 
to be inserted next day in the daily papers: "The 
board of trustees of the Brick Presbyterian Church, 
deeply impressed with a grateful sense for the timely 
and constant aid offered for the preservation of the 
said church from the calamitous and destructive fire 
of the 19th instant, make in behalf of the congregation 
their most sincere acknowledgments to their fellow- 
citizens in general, and more especially to the un- 
daunted mariner and several others who by the 
[lightning] conductor ascended the steeple and checked 
the fire that had then broke out, until more effectual 
means arrived, and were instruments in the hands of 
God of saving the church." At the same time one 
hundred dollars was voted to Stephen McCormick 
(evidently the "undaunted mariner"), and half that 
amount to four other rescuers, as rewards for the 
signal service thus rendered, and as the addresses 
of the persons in question were unknown and several 
days' inquiry failed to discover them, a further news- 
paper notice invited them to call and receive the 
money. It is a curious fact, commonly reported in 
histories of this period, though it does not appear on 
what authority, that the hero of the incident never 
claimed his reward. 

If in our examination of the building we now pass 
around it toward the rear, and if we imagine that it 
is the week of Mr. Spring's installation, we observe 
that, adjoining the north end of the church, is a 
smaller wooden structure just completed. This is 
the "session and prayer room," which had been 
projected in the preceding May and was finished just 



138 THE BRICK CHURCH 

in time for the use of the new pastor. It measured 
about thirty by fifty feet and contained an assembly 
room, fitted with a pulpit, and having its walls, like 
those of the church, w^hitewashed — "The Old White 
Lecture Room," as it w^as affectionately called by 
those who in later years remembered it. Here the 
weekly evening lecture and other meetings were now 
held, and to this room the session, who heretofore 
had met in the charity school-house, transferred their 
head-quarters. 

By 1829 the needs of the church had outgiiown this 
building, and it was then proposed to tear down the 
old addition and erect in its place a "large and com- 
modious two-story brick session house." Accord- 
ing to the plan then suggested the new building was 
to contain large rooms suitable for church meetings 
and for the Sunday-schools which had now been 
established,* smaller rooms "for the pastor, session, 
trustees and for school and church libraries, etc." 
(probably one room was intended to serve more than 
one of these uses), "and in addition two or mope 
valuable and pleasant rooms to rent, "f 

There were two difficulties in the way of this pro- 
posal. In the first place, the trustees did not feel 
able to undertake the expense. This was overcome 
by the guarantee of certain members of the congrega- 
tion that the money should be provided from other 
sources. But it was also necessary, if the plan to 
rent certain of the rooms was to be carried out, to 
secure the removal of the restriction in the original 
lease of the Beekman Street lot by which the church 

♦ As will be described in Chapter XIII. 
t For secular purposes. 



THE TEMPORALITIES 139 

was forbidden to convert the land "to private, secu- 
lar uses." A petition was accordingly made to the 
Common Council, praying for such a modification of 
the original grant as would permit the carrying out 
of the new plan, and this petition was granted. 
This event was important, not only in its relation to 
the matter then in hand, but because of the precedent 
thus established of removing certain restrictions upon 
the use of the church property. 

It was now possible to proceed to the erection of the 
new building, called at first the session house, but 
finally named the chapel, and by December, 1832, it 
had been completed at a cost of about $12,000. It 
was a handsome structure. Its windows were sepa- 
rated by pilasters which rose to the eaves. The roof 
was considerably lower than that of the main church, 
and the two buildings together made a harmonious 
design. The arrangement of the interior, according 
to the best information obtainable, was as follows: 
on the first floor directly adjoining the church (but 
not communicating with it) were two Sunday-school 
rooms, opening into each other, one looking out on 
Nassau Street and one on the Green. Over these 
rooms was the large lecture room. Still further m 
the rear on each floor there were four rooms, two on 
each side, and between them, with the entrance at 
the north end, a hallway containing the stairs. 
Doubtless it was in one of the smaller rooms on the 
second story that the pastor kept his books and 
prepared his sermons, "that memorable study," 
he calls it, "so enbowered, so retired and tranquil 
amid noise and uproar." The two small, rear rooms 
on the first story facing Chatham Street (now Park 



140 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Row) were the ones originally designed for renting. 
The trustees in the end determined that they would 
themselves provide the money expended in the build- 
ing, which they were enabled to do by mortgaging 
the property. The interest on this mortgage was 
provided by renting not only the two rooms just 
mentioned, but also, afterward, with the permission 
of the city,* other rooms not required for religious 
purposes. In about 1840 the chapel was extended 
fourteen feet to the north so as to provide more space 
that might be "let for offices.'* 

The tenants to whom the records refer were a 
physician, an agent for the Foreign Mission Board, 
and a publisher and book-seller. The last mentioned, 
Mr. John S. Taylor, opened his store here soon after 
the chapel was built and continued it through almost 
the whole of this period. His advertisement, inserted 
in a publication of 1838, shows that his was a business 
not inappropriately housed beneath the eaves of a 
church. It calls the attention of the public to the 
"Popular Religious Books, published by John S. 
Taylor, Theological and Sunday-school Bookseller, 
Brick Church Chapel, New York." In 1846 another 
publishing house became the church's tenant, that 
of Baker and Scribner, whose successors, Charles 
Scribner and Co., and the present Charles Scribner's 
Sons have continued the firm's long relationship to the 
Brick Church by becoming the publishers of the 
principle works of the church's ministers during the 
last half century. t 

* In 1835 permission was given to rent any portion of the chapel. 

t According to the terms of the lease of 1846 the trustees rented to 
Baker and Scribner for five years "the two rooms on the lower floor of the 
Brick Church chapel, one of which fronts on Nassau Street, the other 




THE BRICK CHURCH ON BEEKMAN STREET 
Showing Chapel in the rear 



THE TEMPORALITIES 141 

It will be remembered that in the original deed of 
the land on Beekman Street the use to which it was 
to be put included the burial of the dead. In the 
days of which we write it was considered a proper 
and important part of a church's duty to provide a 
suitable place of burial for the members of its own 
congregation, and the natural place for this was con- 
sidered to be the yard about the church itself. Like 
Trinity and St. Paul's, though in a much more re- 
stricted area, the Brick Church had thus surrounded 
itself with a cemetery. Besides the open, graves 
there had been constructed early a limited number 
of vaults which were sold to individuals, and these 
were increased from time to time until nearly all the 
available area had been thus utilized, and even some 
space beneath the sidewalks, by permission of the 
the city. The flat tops of these vaults, level with 
the ground and inscribed with the names of the 
owners, were a familiar sight to all who entered the 
church or passed along Beekman Street. 

In 1823 a city ordinance was passed prohibiting 
any further burial of the dead^outh of Grand Street.* 
The trustees of the Brick Church had barely com- 
pleted some new vaults at considerable expense and 
were dismayed at this sudden and unexpected enact- 

fronting on Park Row (with the privilege of removing the single partition 
between the said two rooms for convenience, but at their own expense)." 
Provision, it is interesting to note, was made for a termination of the lease 
"in case the said trustees should sell the said premises before the ex- 
piration of this lease or in case the Corporation of the city of New York 
should interfere with the present rights of the said trustees held under cer- 
tain acts of said Corporation to lease said premises so as to divest said 
trustees of sard rights." 

* The plague of yellow fever in 1822 was thought to have started with 
a burial in Trinity churchyard. See "Westervelt Manuscripts" (Lenox 
Library), p. 14. 



142 THE BRICK CHURCH 

ment, which, they persuaded themselves, was un- 
necessary or at least premature. One paragraph of 
the memorial which they presented to the corporation 
of the city, stating their grievance, is sufficiently 
interesting to be quoted. "Your petitioners," they 
say, "would briefly notice a reason repeatedly urged 
against a discrimination in private vaults" (such dis- 
crimination was what they had petitioned for) . . . 
"namely, that it savored of aristocracy. The sug- 
gestion, it is believed, had great weight at the time; 
but it is as fallacious as it was popular. Of the whole 
number of private vaults in this city, one-half are 
supposed to be owned by those who are in moderate 
circumstances, and if the remaining half belong to 
persons of opulence, who can deny that there are 
hundreds, if not thousands, as well able to own 
them as they." Possibly this argument did not tend 
to strengthen their case. 

At any rate, the city stood by its ordinance. A 
few months later a second memorial was presented 
by the trustees, rehearsing the conditions of the 
original grant of their land and asserting with some 
reasonableness that the city's recent ordinance pre- 
vented the church from exercising]: a ri<>ht which had, 
in return for a certain rent, duly paid, been promised 
to them forever " without any let, trouble, hindrance, 
molestation, interruj)tion, or denial." At the same 
time or shortly afterward an interment was made, in 
spite of the ordinance, for the purpose of testing in the 
courts the validity of the city's act. In this contest 
the church was worsted. But imconvinced, they 
again memorialized the city authorities, and followed 
this up by instituting suit against the city for $30,000, 



THE TEMPORALITIES i4§ 

damages. The sole issue of this proceeding is told 
with suflficient clearness by the only subsequent refer- 
ence to the matter in the trustees' minutes: "Ordered 
to be paid: H. Holden, Esq., costs of suit for breach 
of covenant, $123.93."* 

The limited area around the church was not, of 
course, its only burying-ground. The Brick Church 
had also its one-third part of the Beekman lots on the 
corner of North (afterward East Houston) and 
Chrystie streets, where burials were made throughout 
the whole period now under consideration. f 

There still remains to be considered the vital 
question of the income and financial condition of the 
church during the forty years covered by this chapter. 
In the preceding period the revenue had been derived 
from collections and the renting and sale of pews. 
It became, however, more and more desirable to de- 
vote the collections to benevolent objects, and at 
length the pews were made to bear the burden alone. 
To this, after the erection of the chapel, was added 
the income of such rooms in that building as were 
rented for secular purposes. In 1835 this amounted 
to $925. 

The buying of a pew meant little more than the 
renting of it with the right to hold the same year by 
year thereafter; and on the other hand, there were 
decided drawbacks to be encountered. Assessments 
for repairs, or to make up a deficit, or to meet some 
extraordinary expense, were by no means uncommon. 

* The permission of the city, a few years later, to rent certain portions 
of the chapel (see above, p. 139), was asked and granted as being at least 
a partial compensatioa for the loss entailed by the prohibition of burials. 

t It may be added that this land was sold in 1866 for $64,200. Groimd 
had been purchased in Evergreen Cemetery in 1856. 



144 THE BRICK CHURCH 

And yet from the frequent references in the records, 
there seem always to have been people who were 
anxious to buy. It must be added that there seem 
also to have been people who failed to pay their 
annual tax or their rent, as the case might be, so that 
the sale of the pews thus confiscated and of others 
that were deeded or bequeathed to the church from 
time to time, provided not infrequent opportunities 
of purchase. 

For the first few years after Mr. Spring's installa- 
tion the treasurer reported each year a substantial 
balance. In 1817, however, we learn that an advance 
in the pew-rents was necessary to keep the church 
from running behind, and there was a still further 
increase two years later designed to provide an un- 
solicited addition of $750 to the pastor's salary. In 
1824, the burden upon the pew-holders being evi- 
dently a subject of complaint, he offered to relinquish 
$500 of his salary, if the taxes on the pews should 
be correspondingly reduced; and the state of the 
treasury at that time must have been indeed discour- 
aging, for the trustees went so far as to request that 
he would make the relinguishment unconditional. 
This he would not do, and they were fain to accept 
his original proposition. The result was interesting. 
A meeting of the men of the church was held at once, 
proposing to restore tlio pastor's salary without delay 
to the figure from which it had been reduced, $3,!250, 
by actually advancing the pew-tax. It was thus 
made evident that, whatever the financial difficulties 
of the situation might be (and there was no doubt 
that the cluirc-h had been forced to borrow money to 
meet its obligations), the congregation stood behind 



THE TEMPORALITIES 145 

the pastor and were unwilling that he, rather than 
they, should be made to suffer. 

Whether as a result of this episode, or because of 
objection to the legal contest, being waged with the 
city at this time about the burial-rights, at the next 
election of trustees, in April, 1825, the three whose 
terms then expired were not reelected. Imme- 
diately the other six handed in their resignations, and 
although three of these were afterward prevailed 
upon to remain, the board when it assembled in May 
was distinctly a new body. 

It had to meet, however, the old problems. In 
the next year with a view to extinguishing the debt 
and completing certain necessary work on the build- 
ing, it was again necessary to propose an extra pew- 
assessment, and to appeal directly to the loyalty of the 
congregation for support in this unpleasant measure. 
Yet on the whole the situation as then described by 
the trustees, though demanding a remedy, was not 
alarming. "The regular annual revenue," they say, 
"is barely suflScient to meet the current yearly ex- 
penditure," and "the debt, although not now large, 
will soon become so by the accumulation of interest." 
Evidently a small increase in revenue would at that 
time have removed the embarrassment. 

From 1832 a new source of revenue was added by 
the renting of the rooms in the new chapel, as above 
described, but all of the money so received was re- 
quired in paying the interest on the debt incurred in 
the chapel's erection, and in the gradual reduction 
of the debt itself. 

Meantime the difficulty in meeting the ordinary 
expenses of the church continued. Year after year 



146 THE BRICK CHURCH 

the treasurer reported a deficit, which even the old 
expedient of an advance in the pew-tax did not now 
serve to check.* In 1839 began a series of loans, 
sometimes for current expenses, sometimes for repairs 
or alterations. These appear on the records at rather 
frequent intervals and reveal a condition of affairs 
which, to say the least, was undesirable. 

But now once more the special emergency was the 
occasion of showing the church's strength. At the 
request of the trustees in January, 1841, the pastor 
undertook to raise from the congregation a voluntary 
subscription for the purpose of obliterating the debt. 
In less than three weeks' time he was able to put into 
their hands the sum of $10,077.22. The subscriptions, 
he says in his accompanying report, ranged from $1 
to $370, and came from one hundred and forty differ- 
ent persons. *'The claim," he continues, "has re- 
ceived the most prompt and warm response. . . . 
Six thousand dollars were paid in by the subscribers 
in a single morning, simply on a public notice from 
the pulpit." By means of this generous contribu- 
tion, the entire debt, except the less troublesome 
mortgage on the chapel was at once paid off, princi- 
pal and interest, and the congregation set its face to 
the future with a new spirit of hopefulness. 

From this time until 1850 the situation, although 
not free from anxieties, was more easy. There con- 
tinued for a time to be a yearly deficit, but a part of 
this at least could be met from the sinking fund, while 
by the same means the old debt of $12,000, on the 
chapel had been finally extinguished. At last, 
on the very year which closes the period of our 

♦ The financial crisis in 1837 should be remembered in this connection. 



THE TEMPORALITIES U1 

present study, the treasurer was able to report that 
the revenues had exceeded the expenditures. 

When it is remembered that the Brick Church had 
no endowment whatever, that in spite of a narrow 
income it not only maintained its original building, 
but twice over made considerable additions to it, that 
at the same time, as we shall see in later chapters, 
it was carrying on a missionary and benevolent work 
of constantly increasing proportions, and that during 
the very years when it was beginning to lose in num- 
bers through the northward drift of population it 
nevertheless succeeded in clearing off all indebted- 
ness and putting its work upon a self-supporting 
basis, we cannot but admire the energy of its oflScers 
and the generous loyalty of its people. 



CHAPTER XI 

PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN: 1810-1850 

"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel Is, that they might 
be saved." — Romans 10 : 1. 

" Whatever subordinate ends, therefore, the Christian pulpit may secure In this 
or the coming world, its lepitimate, paramount aim is the glory of God in the salva- 
tion of men." — Gardiner Spring, "The Power of the Pulpit," p. 170. 

THE last chapter, although in many of its 
facts and incidents suggestive of the real 
life of the church, is for the most part only 
a description of the outer shell. It presents to us in 
detail the physical conditions under which the work 
of the church was carried on. We now turn to study 
that work itself, and we shall begin by tracing the 
career of him who was the church's leader throughout 
this period. 

In a sense the whole religious life and activity that 
then existed in the Brick Church, all those matters, 
for example, that will be presented in the next three 
chapters, form a part of his biography. But there 
are certain more personal facts and events which may 
well be treated by themselves in a chapter especially 
devoted to him. And here it will be convenient to 
deal also with all the church's distinctly theological 
interests during these years, since in them the church 
could hardly be said to act at all except in the person 
of its j)astor. 

148 




GARDINER SPRING IN THE EARLY YEARS OF HIS PASTORATE 
From an oil portrait in the possession of his great-grandson. Shepherd Knapp 



PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN 149 

For the whole period now under observation 
Gardiner Spring performed alone the duties of min- 
ister of the Brick Church. Dr. Rodgers' active work 
had ended, as we know, before his successor came. 
Even his service as moderator at the meetings of the 
Brick Church session in 1809 and 1810 had been 
performed with great difficulty and frequent interrup- 
tions. He was but waiting patiently for the end; 
and at length the end came when the new pastorate 
was less than a year old, on May 7th, 1811. It had 
greatly cheered Dr. Rodgers that, when he was called 
to go, he had already seen the church moving forward 
with promise under its new leader. During those 
last months, his biographer tells us, "he took his 
young colleague by the hand with paternal solicitude 
and affection, discovered great anxiety to promote 
his usefulness, and rejoiced in his talents and suc- 
cess." * Thus the mantle of Elijah fell upon Elisha's 
shoulders. 

The task which Mr. Spring had assumed was ardu- 
ous, and, except for the force of character, the 
Christian spirit, and the consecrated purpose which 
he brought to his work, he was imperfectly prepared. 
"My theological attainments," he says, "were very 
limited," f and it was necessary for him to continue 
as best he could the training and stocking of his mind. 
He began at once a thorough investigation of 
Christian doctrine, which he pursued, not only by 
reading, but also by conference and correspondence 
with his older contemporaries. 

His progress, however, was necessarily slow, for the 

♦"Rodgers Mem.," p. 277. 

t "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 119. 



150 THE BRICK CHURCH 

first demand upon his time was the vigorous perform- 
ance of his daily ministerial duties, and these were so 
engrossing that he seemed to have little leisure for 
aught else. "I neglected everything for the work 
of the ministry," he says, "I had a strong desire to 
visit the courts, and listen to the arguments of the 
eminent jurists of the city; but I had no time for this 
indulgence. I had none for light reading, none for 
evening parties, and very little for social visiting, or 
even extensive reading. Everything was abandoned 
for my pulpit ministrations. . . . Under God it was 
this laborious and unintermittent effort that saved 
me from shipwreck. " * He was abundantly justified 
in asserting, as he did, that a faithful minister is in 
the most thorough sense "a working man." 

Let him in his own words give us some idea of his 
method and habits of work. "There is nothing," 
he affirms, "of which I have been constrained to be 
more economical, and even covetous, than time. I 
have ever been an early riser, and even in mid-win- 
ter used to walk from Beekman Street f round the 
'Forks of the Bowery,' now Union Square, before I 
broke my fast. I usually went into my study at nine 
o'clock, and after my removal to Bond Street, more 
generally at eight, though my study was opposite the 
City Hall, and more than a mile from my residence." J 
This description of the prompt beginning of the day 
prepares us for his account of the system and regu- 

* "Life and Times," Vol. I, pp. 104 /. 

t Dr. Murray in his "Memorial Discouree" (p. 20), Bays: "He once 
told me that his first residence in the city being on Broadway, near Canal 
Street, he was obliged to walk across a number of open lots to get to his 
Thursday lectures, and on dark nights stood sometimes in dread of assault." 

t "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 105. 



PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN 151 

larity with which he produced his sermons. "For a 
series of years," he says, "I rarely retired to my 
pillow of a Lord's Day evening without having 
selected my subject for the following Lord's Day." * 
On Tuesday almost without exception he would begin 
actual work upon his sermon,f and with the same 
regularity he brought his writing to an end at Friday 
noon. Never except in two instances, he declares, 
had Saturday been devoted to the preparation of the 
sermon for the next day. It should be added, how- 
ever, that when the importance of the subject de- 
manded it, and when the assistance of other clergy- 
men made it possible, he would spend two, three, or 
even more, weeks in the preparation of one sermon. 

He preached commonly from a manuscript, but 
when, as he occasionally did, he employed the ex- 
temporaneous method, he went to the other extreme, 
using no notes whatever, preferring to be absolutely 
untrammelled; and he records his opinion that some 
of his best and most profitable sermons were delivered 
in this way, by a method "so literally extemporaneous 
that from beginning to end I did not know^ beforehand 
what would be my next sentence." J This success, 
however, he points out, was the result of previous 
mental discipline, in which the regular use of the pen 
had played a considerable part. 

In regard to his written sermons it is significant in 

* "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 110. 

t In his "Letter to a Young Clergyman" ("Fragments from the Study 
of a Pastor," 1838, p. 117), Dr. Spring says: "One sermon a week, well 
planned, well digested, carefully written, and faithfully applied, is labor 
enough for any man who allows himself any time for intellectual improve- 
ment." He adds that, in that case, "you may draw upon your Text Book 
for two or three others without much preparation." 

t "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 111. 



152 THE BRICK CHURCH 

this connection to hear him say that when sometimes 
he had begun a sermon without any fixed method 
in his mind, he had almost always found it lost labor. 
"For the most part," he says, "my divisions and ar- 
rangements have been thoroughly premeditated ; and 
so thoroughly that ... I have in many instances 
written the application first, and the body of my dis- 
course last." * 

These facts in regard to his persevering and meth- 
odical industry go far toward explaining the success 
of Gardiner Spring as a preacher. But, of course, 
method could have produced but a mediocre result, 
had it not been inspired by something more spontane- 
ous and personal in the man himself, and been pro- 
vided with good material on which to work. For the 
first of these necessities w^e have his declaration, ut- 
tered with enthusiasm, that he "loved the work of 
writing sermons and preaching the gospel." f To 
him the routine and the system of it all were no drudg- 
ery, for his whole heart was in it. There was no 
other occupation in which he took so much delight. 
And as for the second necessity, material to work on, 
his strongly acquisitive and fertile brain kept him 
well supplied. His own reference to this subject is 
interesting, and especially because it incidentally dis- 
pels any notion that he was merely a student of 
books, as we may have hastily assumed. He was 
also, as he here shows us, a student of life. "I have 
rarely been embarrassed for want of subjects," he 
said in his later years. "The wonderful facility with 
which one subject leads to another, the state of the 
congregation, an interview with some individual or 

* "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 112. t Ibid., Vol. I, p. 106. 



PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN 153 

family, a watchful observance of the leadings of Divine 
Providence, intercourse with ministerial brethren, 
some unexpected suggestion during the night-watches, 
a solitary ride on the saddle,* my index rerum and 
the inexhaustible treasures of the Bible, furnished 
me with subjects which I have not yet overtaken." f 

But we have yet to observe the most important 
characteristic of Mr. Spring's plan of work. Of 
greater significance than his natural talents, his strong 
personality, his enthusiasm, or his faithfulness, was 
the high aim which he held constantly before him. 
He was literally possessed by a great determination to 
use all his power and opportunity in the reclaiming 
of sinful men and the establishing of them in the 
kingdom of God. Not to write learned or elegant or 
striking sermons was the purpose he had set before 
himself, but "by the foolishness of preaching" to save 
men from sin. He was not even content to address 
himself to the less urgent needs of those who were 
already Christians, but from the beginning labored 
"rather with the view of being instrumental in the 
conversion of sinners, than of comforting the people 
of God." f 

How serious and deep-seated this purpose in him 
was, is shown by the fact that he maintained it in face 
of the greatest obstacle of all, namely the surprise and 

* Dr. Murray says, " He loved to recall the incidents of the earlier 
period of his ministry; and on several occasions, while riding with him to 
funerals, it seemed to me like the telling of some curious dream to hear him 
say in the midst of some busy street, shadowed by massive buildings; 
'There ran a stream, and there is the spot over which I used to jump my 
horse in my afternoon rides years ago, during which I composed my lecture 
for the evening.'" ("Memorial Discourse," p. 20.) 

t "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 112. 

i Ibid., Vol. I, p. 109. 



154 THE BRICK CHURCH 

criticism of some of those who were his best friends. 
Both the congregation and the officers of the church, 
he tells us, were eager, when he first began his work 
among them, that their minister should win the popu- 
lar ear. Not that this was their chief desire, but 
they not unnaturally wished to see him cultivate such 
qualities in his sermons as would draw large numbers 
to the church and keep them there. And perhaps he 
would not have been greatly blameworthy had he 
adopted their point of view. On the contrary, he 
showed the depth of his conviction by refusing to 
forfeit anything whatsoever to the lower motive. 
He boldly preached a sermon to his own people from 
the ironical text, "Speak unto us smooth things," and 
by it succeeded in establishing once for all, as the 
rule of his preaching in the Brick Church and as the 
test for judging it, that a sermon should aim to please 
God, whether it pleased men or not. 

Perhaps it is not surprising that a man so strongly 
moved by conscientious considerations, should have 
had doubts from time to time about the value of his 
work. This was, at any rate, the case with Mr. 
Spring. There were periods during his early ministry 
when he was utterly discouraged. "Many a time, 
after preaching," he writes, "did I remain long in the 
pulpit, that I might not encounter the faces of the 
people as I left the church, and many a time, when I 
left it, did I feel that I could never preach another 
sermon." * 

This depression in regard to the real usefulness of 
his ministry was by no means the only great difficulty 
by which he was beset in those early days. His health 

*"Br. Ch. Mem.," pp. 21 /. 



PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN 155 

threatened to give way and frequently caused him 
serious anxiety. In 1813 it was twice necessary to 
employ a ministerial assistant for him on account of 
his "feeble state," and during the next year he was 
compelled to leave his work altogether for a couple 
of months. 

A still more serious difficulty in those early years 
was the doubt entertained by a number of his Presby- 
terian associates in regard to his orthodoxy. As we 
have seen already, he had been received under care 
of Presbytery with a good deal of hesitation on this 
score. After he began his regular preaching in New 
York, the feeling of uncertainty in regard to him in- 
creased rather than diminished. It was a time when 
theological questions excited the greatest interest in 
all the churches, so that any supposed peculiarity 
of doctrine, even on points of secondary importance, 
would at once be seized upon with avidity. Congre- 
gations enjoyed and expected theological preaching 
from their pastors, so that almost invariably the 
sermons preached on Sunday supplied to the critics 
of orthodoxy abundant material for the coming week. 

Mr. Spring, moreover, was thoroughly in sympathy 
with this theological interest and his sermons were 
distinctly of the theological type. This does not 
imply that he for a moment lost sight of the sermon's 
practical purpose. On the contrary, that was con- 
stantly and prevailingly before him; but he was 
convinced that that purpose could hardly be achieved 
except by the theological mode of approach. "Men 
who complain of doctrinal preaching," said he, "are 
strangers to the worth and power of practical preach- 
ing. ... I do not see how any man can preach 



156 THE BRICK CHURCH 

practically who does not preach doctrinally, for the 
obvious reason that Christian doctrine is truth in 
theory, and Christian practice is truth in action," * 

From what has been said it will readily be seen that 
any differences between the theological views of Mr. 
Spring and those of other Presbyterian clergymen of 
the city would soon be thoroughly known and become 
the subject of anxious consideration. 

Now Mr. Spring had been somewhat influenced 
by what was known as the New England Theology, 
in the midst of which he had grown up; and New 
England Theology, though Calvinistic in its basic 
principles, was regarded with grave suspicion by 
the New York Calvinists. Mr. Spring's father was a 
follower of Dr. Hopkins of Newport, one of the New 
England leaders; and the son in his sermons in the 
Brick Church gave some reason for fearing that he 
also might be a Hopkinsian. When it was said that 
Dr. Mason, preaching in the church on Murray 
Street, in his denunciations of New England divinity 
made ** unmistakable allusions to a rising young 
preacher, who was suspected of favoring some pecul- 
iar views of the New England School," the reference 
was to the pastor of the Brick Church. f The Rev. 
Ezra Stiles Ely published a book entitled "The Con- 
trast," which, in its discussion of the difference be- 
tween Hopkinsian and Calvinistic theology, was 
plainly aimed at the same person. Such attacks as 
these he could well afford to ignore except so far as 
preaching the truth "more plainly and pungently" J 
was an answer. On the other hand, he felt bound to 

♦ "Br. Ch. Mem.," p. IIG. f "Br. Ch. Mem.," p. 136. 

X "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 129. 



PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN 157 

give full and frank replies to a series of questions 
propounded to him in writing by certain members of 
the Presbytery, who had been disturbed by his sup- 
posed errors, and who in a courteous and straight- 
forward manner sought to learn just how far their 
fears were well grounded. 

Some ground there was. Mr. Spring had, in 
truth, adopted certain Hopkinsian views and was by 
no means slow to express them. Especially he made 
much of a distinction between " natural" and "moral" 
inability to become holy, the former of which he 
denied, against the old Calvinists, while the latter 
he accepted, with them. It would be diflScult perhaps 
to awaken any enthusiasm on the subject nowadays, 
or to explain the ardor and enthusiasm with which 
Mr. Spring contended that men have in themselves 
"all the natural faculties that are necessary to holi- 
ness," and, if disposed to use them aright, would be 
holy, since he at the same time admitted, nay, 
urgently asserted, that the total depravity of human 
nature creates "an invincible aversion to holiness," 
and that the "moral inability" thus produced is actu- 
ally innate in the human heart. * But at the time 
of which we write, this subject aroused the keenest 
interest, and Mr. Spring's position was regarded as 
more than questionable. There were, besides, other 
New England views of smaller importance, which, 
with more or less certainty, he was prepared to urge 
as a modification of the older Calvinism. 

All this, however, was far from amounting to an 
acceptance of Hopkinsianism as a whole. The most 
characteristic doctrines in that system, as he took 

* Spring's "Essays" (1813), p. 35, note. 



158 THE BRICK CHURCH 

pains to assert, he had always emphatically rejected. 
He did not believe, for instance, that God's absolute 
sovereignty in all things should be so construed as to 
make him the direct cause of sinful as well as of holy 
actions. Nor did he believe in "unconditional sub- 
mission," the doctrine that a man ought so wholly to 
resign himself to the divine will as to be ready to be 
damned for the glory of God. The truth was that 
he remained, after all, a Calvinist of the stricter sort, 
yet one who had come near enough to the New Eng- 
landers to share some of their good points, while 
maintaining his own freedom and avoiding their 
extreme positions By degrees this became plain to 
all, and in the end, instead of being regarded as sus- 
picious in his theology, he was accepted as a champion 
of orthodoxy. 

It should be added at this point that his relation to 
the Hopkinsians had given him something far better 
than the few minor doctrines he had adopted from 
them. It had early given him the power to appreciate 
men from whom he continued to differ on many im- 
portant points. It was no small thing, at a time of 
theological controversy and in a man whose own 
views were always clear-cut and positive, that he 
could in so large a measure keep his Christian sym- 
pathies free from the influence of intellectual preju- 
dice; and the characteristic which we here observe 
was without doubt one of those that most contributed 
to the large usefulness of his career. In this connec- 
tion it will be interesting to note two passages from 
his autobiography which exhibit admirably his liberal- 
mindedness. In mentioning at some length the pub- 
lished sermons which he had read with most profit. 



PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN 159 

he says, "I do not hesitate to include the name of 
Emmons" (that name was to strict Presbyterians Hke 
a red rag to a bull), "because, while in my judgment 
he has some errors, he has more truth than any writ- 
er whose works have fallen under my notice. The 
young minister who refuses to read Emmons because 
his name has been proscribed by the Princeton 
reviewers, will remain ignorant of truth which, as a 
preacher of the gospel, he ought to know." * The 
second passage is still more significant. He has just 
been speaking at length of certain Hopkinsian doc- 
trines from which he strongly dissented. Then he 
continues: "Great and good men have been the 
zealous advocates of the views here animadverted on, 
nor are we among those who have called in question 
the excellence of their Christian character. As a 
class I have never known more godly men. Men of 
greater humility, greater self-denial, greater devoted- 
ness to the interests and enlargement of Christ's 
kingdom, have never existed in New England than 
the disciples of Dr. Hopkins. If their opposers had 
known them as well as I have known them, I am 
confident their prejudices would vanish." f 

It is certainly pleasant to note these expressions of 
generous sympathy, and the tolerant spirit which they 
display. At the same time, we must not give them 
an exaggerated meaning. It must be admitted that 
outside the pale of Calvinism Mr. Spring's views were 
not so free from bias. He had not much patience, for 
instance, with the so-called New Haven Theology J 

* "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 114. 
t Ibid, Vol. II, pp. 14 /. 

t Yet see below hia attitude toward the allied New School Presby- 
terians. 



160 THE BRICK CHURCH 

of Dr. N. W. Taylor, with its complete denial of 
native depravity; he could countenance the excom- 
munication of a woman from his church for no other 
reason than that she disbelieved in the eternal pun- 
ishment of the wicked, the Universalist heresy; he 
frankly regarded the papacy as antichrist, and af- 
firmed that he actually preferred infidelity to Roman 
Catholicism. But, as we have seen in the passages 
quoted above, among the different kinds of Calvinist 
(and they were many and none too amicable), Mr. 
Spring set a notable example of liberality. "I do 
not ask," he said, "that in every particular my 
brethren should subscribe to my creed. I only ask 
that they ' sincerely receive and adopt the Confession 
of Faith of the Presbyterian Church, as containing 
the system of doctrine contained in the Holy Script- 
ures.' . . . Few in this age of inquiry, believe every 
word of it. Nor did our fathers. I myself made two 
exceptions to it, when I was received into the Pres- 
bytery of New York. ... I could specify more 
points in which not a few of our ministers and rul- 
ing elders do not exactly agree with our standards. 
Yet they are all honest Calvinists. . . . The iron 
bed of Procrustes is not suited to the spirit of 
the age." * We shall shortly have occasion to ob- 
serve how at an important historic crisis he urged 
in vain that his own liberal attitude be al- 
lowed to guide the counsels of the Presb}i;erian 
Church. 

It must not be supposed that the opinions and char- 
acteristics which have been described were, at the 
beginning of his ministry, as clear-cut and mature as 

* "Life and Times," Vol. II, p. 21. 



PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN 161 

they appear in some of the quotations by which they 
have been illustrated, and which have been derived 
in a number of instances from utterances of his later 
years. Yet in a less complete form they were a true 
part of his original mental and spiritual equipment. 
They plainly make their appearance, for instance, in 
his "Essays on the Distinguishing Traits of Christian 
Character," published in 1813, to which, as his first 
printed book, a few paragraphs may properly be 
devoted. 

This small volume, which ran through nine edi- 
tions, was the outcome of the theological controversy, 
already described, in regard to the two kinds of 
"inability," yet I believe a reader of the present day 
would be surprised at the practical vein in which it 
is written. It distinctly is not controversial in tone, 
but makes a direct and continual appeal to the wills 
of those to whom it is addressed. This was in accord 
with Mr. Spring's often expressed ideal of what 
Christian preaching and teaching should be. In the 
first five chapters he exhibits the several traits of 
character "that cannot be relied on as conclusive 
evidence of genuine religion." * These are, a mor- 
ality which, however excellent, proceeds from 
selfish motives; observance of the outward forms 
of religion, however assiduous; a merely intellect- 
ual apprehension of religious truth, however or- 
thodox; the conviction of sin without genuine re- 
pentance; and a merely inward assurance of conver- 
sion and salvation unaccompanied by the evidences 
of a redeemed character. In the rest of the 
book he describes, on the other hand, those traits 

♦"Essays" (1813), p. vi. 



162 THE BRICK CHURCH 

which "may be relied upon, without danger of de- 
ception."* 

It is no small commendation to say that after a 
hundred years and in spite of all the doctrinal modi- 
fications that have taken place in that time, this book 
still provides profitable reading, is still a practical 
book. Practical, it should be added, for one sole 
purpose, the awakening of sinners to the conscious- 
ness of their perilous state and of their absolute need 
of Christian salvation. It does not deal with every- 
day morals except as they are directly related to that 
one momentous subject. It does not attempt to 
apply Christian principles to the details of daily 
life. It does not even undertake to train the already 
converted man in higher ways of holiness. Its one 
aim, pursued with extraordinary force and persistence, 
is the bringing of the sinner to the feet of Christ. 

Occasionally Mr. Spring had some misgivings in 
regard to a possible one-sidedness in his message. "I 
early found," he says in a curious passage, "that I 
could more easily prepare a good sermon from an 
awakening and alarming subject, than from one that 
is more comforting. The fact is, I knew more of the 
terrors of the law than the preciousness of the gospel. 
. . . The difficulty of preaching well on the more at- 
tractive and winning themes, has sometimes alarmed 
me, and made me fear lest, after having ' preached to 
others, I myself should be a castaway.' "f In this, it 
is hardly needful to say, he maligned himself: even 

♦ The titles of the chapters indicate sufficiently what these are: namely, 
Love to God, Repont;incc, Faith, Humility, Self-denial, The Spirit of 
Prayer, Love to the Brethren, Non-conformity to the World, Growth id 
Grace, and Practical Obedience. 

t "Life and Times," Vol. 1, pp. 109 /. 



PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN 163 

in his early years he was by no means confined to the 
awful subjects of judgment. But the confession does 
certainly throw light upon a prevailing tendency of 
his thought. 

Soon after the publication of his Essays he began the 
custom of preaching sermons in series, sometimes two 
or three, sometimes as many as twenty or thirty on 
the same general topic. Indeed, the first series con- 
sisted of more than a hundred discourses, and was 
really nothing more nor less than a whole system of 
theology. He himself describes it as "the great effort 
of my life," and says that in the preparation of it 
he spent "more than three years of laborious and 
continuous study."* A few sermons from one or 
another series, written in later years, still exist in the 
original manuscript, and not only their bulk but the 
inscriptions on their front pages create a feeling of 
respect, almost amounting to awe, for both the 
preacher whose industry and research produced them 
and the audiences to whom they were delivered. 
Thus we find that in February of 1826 he was engaged 
on "System No. VI," on "Divine Revelation," while 
in November of the same year he had already reached 
"System No. XVIII," on "The Goodness of God." 
In 1828 "Series of Discourses No. LII," on "The 
Method of Salvation" was being delivered. (It is in- 
teresting to note that on the cover of the still-existing 
sermon in this series, its individual theme being "The 
Nature of the Christian Atonement," is added this 
instructive legend, "All wrong. G. Spring, February, 
1841.") In 1829 "Directions for Anxious Sinners" 
was the subject of "Series of Discourses No. LXV." 

*"Br. Ch. Mem./'pp. 17/. 



164 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Much of the material thus laboriously produced was 
doubtless incorporated in his later books. 

In 1 8*2^2 Dr. Spring, for by this time he had received 
the degree of D.D., took the occasion of the church's 
being closed for repairs to go abroad for four or five 
months. He had been invited to make the voyage 
as guest of one of the members of his church, and 
hoped that this might prove an effectual measure for 
the restoration of his health. In this he was not 
disappointed, but the sights of Europe, its "scenes 
of splendor, and of folly, and of sin," and especially 
the evidences of superstition which he observed there, 
seem to have disgusted and depressed him. His 
chief pleasure had been found in the ocean voyages 
and the friends whose companionship he had en- 
joyed. 

Thirteen years later he crossed the Atlantic again 
on a more important and more interesting journey, 
but before speaking of that, a brief reference must 
be made to an incident occurring in the interval. In 
the summer of 183"-2 there was a dreadful outbreak of 
Asiatic cliolera in New York. More than a hundred 
persons perished every day, nearly a thousand in one 
week. The ministers of the Presbyterian churches 
in earlier days had already set a high standard of 
conduct in such emergencies, and Dr. Spring was 
not the one to lower it. He might possiljly have 
withdrawn from the city without special blame, as 
it was time for his annual vacation, but, instead, 
he made announcement that as long as the danger 
lasted he would remain in the city with his people. 
Throuirh the summer he ministered to the sick 
and dying by personal visitation, while to those who 



PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN 165 

had as yet escaped he brought cheer and strength, 
both by the regular services of the church, and still 
more by a prayer-meeting held daily at six o'clock in 
the afternoon for many weeks, to which people of all 
denominations came in large numbers. This inci- 
dent is not mentioned here because it was the greatest 
proof of his faithfulness — there were a thousand days 
of inconspicuous, and for the most part unrecorded, 
service which really counted for more in his ministry — 
but this is at least an incident easily grasped, and it 
will perhaps serve as well as any to prepare us for the 
strong bond of reverent affection which had been 
growing up between the people and their pastor, and 
which in 1835, when he started on his second journey 
to Europe, already alluded to, found op|X)rtunity to 
express itself in an appropriate and emphatic way. 
He had been appointed by the General Assembly 
as its delegate to the Congregational Union of Eng- 
land and Wales. He was also delegate to the meetings 
of the British and Foreign Bible Society in London 
and the French and Foreign Bible Society in Paris, 
and he was to attend besides several other important 
meetings. It was almost a diplomatic mission, its 
purpose being to draw together Christians living on 
the two sides of the Atlantic, and both the Brick 
Church and its pastor made extraordinary prepara- 
tions. The people collected a purse of $2,500 to pay 
the expenses of the journey, while he, until then 
utterly ignorant of the French tongue, mastered it in 
three months under two teachers, with such success 
that he was not only able to write in French his 
address for the French Society, but to pronounce it 
(as he says with pardonable pride) ''almost without 



166 THE BRICK CHURCH 

any foreign accent." * Then came the time for his 
departure, and on that occasion his people, through a 
committee, presented to him a letter which tells more 
of the relations that existed between them than could 
a whole chapter of explanations. It is possible to 
quote but a part of it: 

"It is no light matter for any Christian church to 
be deprived, even for a few weeks, of the stated minis- 
trations of a beloved pastor; but in a case like the 
present, where the church is large, and its members 
[are] scattered over the whole extent of a great com- 
mercial city, the population of which is ever changing, 
and where the separation is not for a few weeks only, 
but for months, the trial is vastly greater. . . . But 
the objects of the mission were understood to be of 
such an interesting nature that the church has not 
felt itself at liberty to interpose an objection, however 
great the sacrifice — more especially as it feels that the 
confidence in their pastor, [expressed] by the General 
Assembly, has not been misplaced. . . . 

"But however much the members of our local com- 
munion may feel honored by the selection of your- 
self, their beloved pastor, for these high and responsi- 
ble trusts, or however strong may be their confidence 
in your ability, under God, to discharge the duties 
devolving upon you, with credit to yourself and your 
constituents, and far above all with acceptance to 
your divine ]\Iaster, yet the moment of separation will 
be painful to a degree which language can but faintly 
and inadequately express. The long and intimate, 
the profitable and happy relationship which we have 
reason to believe has subsisted between yourself and 

♦ "Life and Times," Vol. II, p. 111. 




GARDINER SPRINC. IN THE LATER YEARS OF HIS PASTORATE 
From a photf)graph 



PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN 167 

us, the thousand endearing and sweet recollections 
which rush upon our minds, the depth and the 
strength of the affection which we entertain for you, 
and which we fondly believe, however little we may 
deserve it, is also cherished for us by you in return — 
all make us to feel that the present is no common 
parting. . . . 

"Allow the undersigned, therefore, Reverend and 
Dear Sir, in behalf of the church in whose name they 
have been deputed as a committee to act on this oc- 
casion, to give you a parting assurance of their high 
regard for your person in social life, and their most 
affectionate attachment to you as a faithful minister 
of the gospel of Jesus Christ, an attachment that has 
been increasing through a long series of years, during 
which, at all times, in seasons of plague and pestilence, 
of personal peril and public danger, they have ob- 
served and marked your devotedness to the cause of 
your Master, and the zeal, perseverance, and activity 
with which your laborious and often painful duties 
have been discharged. . . . 

*' Allow us likewise and in conclusion to request 
from yourself a continuance of your prayers in our 
behalf — prayers that have been so long put up for us, 
and, we have reason to believe, so often blessed — that 
we may be preserved in unity and concord, and kept 
steady in the faith once delivered to the saints, and 
that through God's rich mercy we may each and all of 
us be spared to witness your return with renovated 
health, crowned with abundant success in the objects 
of your mission, and with increased means of private 
and ministerial usefulness. Farewell." 

Only two other items remain to be added to this 



168 THE BRICK CHURCH 

already extended chapter. The first concerns the 
action of the Brick Church and its pastor in the pro- 
ceedings that led to the unhappy division of the 
Presbyterians into the Old and the New Schools. 
While Dr. Spring was absent in Europe a controversy, 
due to the spread of the New Haven Theology among 
some of the Presbyterians, came to a climax, and in 
1837 the General Assembly, in which the staunch 
Calvinists had control, cut off certain western synods 
by what were called the Disowning or Exscinding 
Acts. Dr. Spring, as we know, rejected entirely the 
New Haven teaching; he was prepared to oppose it 
by all proper means; but he did not approve of the 
Exscinding Acts and he vigorously protested against 
them. "Error," he said, "has never been eradicated 
from the church by the severe process of adjudication. 
Where errors are not essential in their character. . . 
the most effectual means of opposing their progress 
is the diffusion of light and the exercise of love. . . . 
Let the Church go forth unmanacled to the great work 
of converting the world."* When however, in spite 
of protest, the division had been accomplished. Dr. 
Spring and his church, since it was no longer a ques- 
tion how others should be treated, but what they 
themselves believed, unhesitatingly took their place 
in the ranks of the Old School. Blame, Dr. Spring 
tells us, was imputed to them by both parties, for what 
was deemed their neutrality. He claimed, however, 
that they had not been neutral. Their action had 
been, not negative, but positive throughout. It had 
been controlled throughout by the same clear and con- 
sistent principles. The plain fact was that they had 

♦ "Life and Times," Vol. II, p. 55. 



PASTOR AND THEOLOGIAN 169 

allowed neither their strong personal views to make 
them unjust toward those who differed from them, 
nor their toleration to modify their own conscientious 
opinions ; and their position is one that their descend- 
ants in the Brick Church regard with peculiar pride 
and gratitude. 

Finally, it must be mentioned that not long after 
the event just described, Dr. Spring began to publish 
the books which soon became almost as influential in 
a larger field as his preaching had been within the 
limits of his parish.* 

* He had published, in the eariier days of his ministry, a few small 
books and many pamphlets. The first of his larger works, referred to in 
the text, was "The Obligation of the World to the Bible" (1839). Next 
"The Attraction of the Cross," was issued in 1846. These were followed 
at short intervals by "The Power of the Pulpit" (1848); "The Mercy 
Seat" (1850); "First Things" (1851); "The Glory of Christ" (1852); 
and "The Contrast" (1855). Still later appeared "Pulpit Ministrations" 
(1864) and the "Autobiography" (1865). His completed works would 
fill twenty-two octavo volumes. 



CHAPTER XII 

RELIGION AND MORALS: 1810-1850 

"Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He 
that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his 
heart." — Psalm 15 : 1 /. 

" In what consists [Christianity's] true glory, unless it is in the fact that where It 
Is thus ascendant millions of intelUgent and immortal beings, in the solitude of their 
retirement and in the noise and bustle of the world, in the depression of their grief 
and in the tranquillity of their joy, in the secrecy and publicity of their devotions, 
In the rectitude, truthfulness, and benignity of their deportment toward God and 
their fellow-men, manifest his glory, who is ' the only begotten of the Father, full of 
grace and truth'?"— Gardiner Spring, "The Glory of Christ," Vol. II, pp. 39 ff. 

AS the last chapter was devoted to the pastor, so 
this one is devoted to the people of the Brick 
Church during this period of forty years. 
But the task now set before us is the harder of the 
two. Nothing, indeed, is more difficult than to 
ascertain the facts regarding the inner life of the peo- 
ple of former times, and in spite of a careful use of 
records and biographies and reminiscences, it is to 
be feared that we shall but attain to a picture of ex- 
ternals after all. It will be possible to state with some 
fulness what were the means used to bring the duties 
of relifrion home to the hearts of individuals and to 
control or correct their morals; but when we seek 
further a knowledge of the actual results, an acquaint- 
ance with the regenerated men and women themselves 
and of the thoroughness of their regeneration, we 
shall be able to do little more than catch a few tantaliz- 

170 



RELIGION AND MORALS 171 

ing glimpses, and must rely, far more than we should 
wish, upon a general knowledge of the church's 
strength, and a study (in the next two chapters) of 
the active Christian work of the congregation, in 
order to assure us that the means employed for moral 
and religious training were successful. 

Most obvious among such means were, of course, 
the public services of the church. These, except for 
the necessary reduction of the number of Sunday 
services from three to two, continued as in the time 
of Dr. Rodgers. that is, morning and afternoon 
worship on Sunday, a prayer-meeting on Tuesday 
evening and on Thursday * evening a lecture. "The 
Old White Lecture Room," in which, until the build- 
ing of the new chapel in 1832, these week-night 
meetings were held, was remembered long after with 
an affection which assures us of the deep religious im- 
pression made by these gatherings. "What a foun- 
tain of sweet memories does its simple name unseal," 
exclaimed Mr. Horace Holden a short time before 
his death in 1862, "What deep and pungent convic- 
tions of sin! What tears of contrition! . . . What 
songs of triumphant rejoicing! It must be reserved 
for eternity to recount the triumphs of grace witnessed 
in the Old White Lecture Room."-j- 

The story of how Mr. Holden himself, who after- 
ward became perhaps the leading layman of the 
church, was first introduced to this room, almost 
makes us feel as though we, too, had entered it. "In 
1814," he says, "Stephen Dodge, a member of this 
church, . . . met me in the street and invited me to 

♦ Changed to Friday for a time, beginning in March, 1825. 
t"Br. Ch. Mem.,"pp. 145/. 



172 THE BRICK CHURCH 

accompany him to your* Thursday evening lecture. 
I had never attended an evening religious lecture. I 
could not resist his polite entreaty. He called for 
me. He took me to the Old AMiite Lecture Room, 
and seated me near the pulpit among the elders. The 
place was full. It was a new scene to me. I well 
remember the very spot I occupied on that memorable 
evening; and well do I remember the text, 'If thou, 
Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall 
stand?' . . . From that night forward I became a 
regular attendant upon your ministry. That lecture 
decided my whole future." f 

As will be evident from this passage the "lecture" 
was practically a sermon, so that this meeting de- 
pended wholly upon the pastor. Not so the weekly 
prayer-meeting. This, at least at certain periods, 
was conducted by the elders in rotation, and even if 
Dr. Spring was the leader, there were, he tells us, in 
those early days, no less than sixty men whom he 
could call upon to offer prayer. The meetings, under 
such circumstances, were, as may well be imagined, 
full of interest, and it is especially worthy of note that 
they were attended, not merely by the members of 
the church, but by many who were as yet uncon- 
verted. In 1820 it was even thought necessary to 
establish an extra meeting for prayer on the third 
Monday evening of each month, in order that the 
members of the church, meeting by themselves, might 
have the special benefit of more private and intimate 
communion. 

Even two regular services between Sundays did not 

* This is quoted from a speech addressed to Dr. Spring personally. 
t"Br. Ch. Mem.," p. 137. 



RELIGION AND MORALS 173 

always exhaust the people's zeal. We learn that in 
addition "there were maintained for a long period 
twelve neighborhood prayer-meetings at private 
houses, on every Friday evening, in different parts of 
the congregation, sustained by committees averaging 
seven each, which were so distributed as every week 
to ensure a continual rotation."* It was certainly 
a strong church that could thus provide nearly a 
hundred men to carry on such a work. Other meet- 
ings held during the week, throughout the whole or a 
part of this period were the quarterly meeting, a 
large adult Bible class, the monthly concert of 
prayer for missions, f a class for instruction in the 
Shorter Cathechism, the singing-school, and the 
inquiry meeting. J 

Only two of these demand at this time a fuller 
comment. The nature of the inquiry meeting may 
be learned from the following description, in which 
Dr. Spring was setting forth, under the form of a 
narrative, his conception of what such a meeting ought 
to be like. No doubt the methods here described 
were employed in the Brick Church. " I should judge 
there were from one hundred and thirty to one hun- 
dred and, fifty persons present — chiefly of those who 
were from sixteen to thirty years of age, together 
with a few of more advanced years, and a few who 
were children. All were seated. . . . The meeting 
was opened by singing. . . . When the hymn was 
closed, the object of the meeting was briefly stated, 

*"Br. Ch. Mem.,"p. 145. 

t Toward the end of the period covered by this chapter this meeting 
was changed from the first Monday to the first Sunday of each month. 

X This was probably occasional only, and may have been held on 
Sunday evening. 



174 THE BRICK CHURCH 

and all were requested to kneel and unite in a few 
words of prayer. After prayer the pastor himself, 
together with three other gentlemen, who as I sup- 
posed were officers of the church, dispersed themselves 
throughout different parts of the room, and entered 
into conversation with the individuals who were 
present. Here and there were clusters of persons 
with whom they conversed collectively. The con- 
versation with individuals was sometimes continued 
two or three minutes, and sometimes elicited no 
answer. Sometimes it consisted of a single enquiry 
and an appended observation or two. And some- 
times it continued for eight or ten minutes. So that 
at the close of the meetinof there were none who had 
not had the opportunity of a personal interview. . . . 
The conversation was conducted in rather a low tone 
of voice, and much as it would have been, had the 
parties been alone in a private parlor." * 

The quarterly meeting, included in the list given 
above, was held during the week preceding each 
communion service, on Wednesday evening. f It was 
evidently what is now known as the preparatory 
service, and is described at one place in the records 
as "the quarterly meeting of the church with their 
children." It would appear that until 1816, new 
members were received into the church at this or 
some other weekday meeting, but in March of that 
year it was decided that this ceremony should take 
place "in the sanctuary and in the presence of the 
congregation." The "Profession and Covenant'* 
used in the admission of new members is still in 

• "Fragments from the Study of a Pastor" (1S3S), pp. 57-60. 

t So iu 1838. The day of the week may have varied from time to time. 



RELIGION AND MORALS 175 

existence,* a very solemn and searching document. 
It required a somewhat extended declaration of 
faith in God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, 
and a confession of sin which included the following 
items: "the original and total depravity of your 
nature, the past enmity of your heart against God, 
the unbelief which has led you to reject a Saviour, 
and the manifold transgressions of your lives." 

For a few months in 1845, *'in view of the difficul- 
ties experienced in relation to the public profession 
and covenant," its use was discontinued, and it was 
ordered that "no other engagements be required of 
those received into the church save those entered 
into at the baptism of adults, as required by the 
Directory for Worship and those implied in actually 
coming to the Lord's Table." This change was soon 
reconsidered, however, and the church returned to its 
earlier practice. 

It need hardly be said that candidates for admission 
to church membership underwent a careful examina- 
tion. It was necessary for all such persons to appear 
before the whole session and reply to such questions 
as were there propounded to them. In 1844, how- 
ever, an exception was made in the case of those who 
in the opinion of the pastor might be "deterred by 
diffidence or natural modesty" from submitting to 
this formidable examination. In their case, the 
pastor, alone or with the assistance of one or more 
elders, was permitted to conduct a more private 
inquiry into the candidate's "knowledge and faith." f 

Turning now to the Sunday services, we must re- 

* See Appendix T, p. 539. 

t In 1859 the examination of all by the session itself was again ordered. 



176 THE BRICK CHURCH 

mark first of all that in those days there was, of course, 
no recognition of any of the festivals of the church 
year, so that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper,* 
observed four times annually f in the simple and 
reverent manner of the non-liturgical churches, f was 
the only service that had a peculiar character of its 
own. To this one service, however, which he re- 
garded as the culmination of Christian worship, Dr. 
Spring gave a very marked emphasis. It was 
observable, we are told, that "he brought to it always, 
so far as he could, the most careful preparation on his 
own part and that of his people. . . . He gave it the 
highest prominence in his ministry, as the comfort of 
disciples, and the preacher of Christ to the world. 
At the communion table some of his most moving 
spiritual addresses were made." § 

The character of a service upon an ordinary 
Sunday may readily be conceived by recollecting what 
has already been told regarding Dr. Spring's preach- 
ing, and from the following suggestive account of his 

* In regard to the administration at this time of the other sacrament, 
that of Baptism, we know only that a silver bowl was provided for that 
purpose (see above, p. 81), and that the service was almost invariably held 
in the church. Only for very strong reason, such as sickness, was it allow- 
able to hold it elsewhere, and then at least one of the elders was present 
with the pastor. 

t Both the month and the Sunday in the month assigned for this service 
were changed from time to time. As an illustration may be given the dates 
assigned in 1827, viz.: the second Sundays of January, April, July and 
October. 

X In regard to the silver communion service we have this note under 
the date, January 5th, 1819. "The committee (of the trustees) also reported 
that they had procured two pitchens, six flagons, two dishes, and one plate, 
making with the pieces previously belonging to the church a complete 
service. " Four silver plates had been presented by a member of the 
congregation in 1S13. 

^ "Memorial Discourse," p. 25. 



RELIGION AND MORALS 177 

manner of conducting public worship. " His prayers 
were wonderful," we are told by his successor, "rich 
in the letter and in the spirit of Holy Scripture, varied, 
most felicitous in all personal allusions, deep in the 
devotion of a Christian heart, comprehensive in their 
range, . . . even more remarkable than his sermons 
for marked impressiveness. . . . His reading of the 
Scriptures, his reading of hymns, were always accord- 
ing to the maxim so often used by Dr. John Mason, 
that * correct emphasis is sound exposition.' One of 
the leading merchants of the city, whose name is the 
synonym for Christian benevolence, has told me that 
he never was able to shake off the religious impression 
made on him by Dr. Spring's manner of reading the 
hymn of Doddridge, *Ye hearts with youthful vigor 
warm.'"* 

Not upon the minister alone, however, did the 
character of the service depend. f The music during 
this period attained a considerable importance, and 
claimed a greater degree of attention than we should 
probably have supposed. When Mr. Spring came 

* "Memorial Discourse," pp. 24 /. 

t As to the customary or prescribed action of the congregation at the 
public services we know little. The following minute by the General 
Assembly of 1849 in regard to "Posture in Prayer" will, perhaps, be sur- 
prising to some readers: "While the posture of standing in public prayer, 
and that of kneeling in private prayer, are indicated by examples in 
Scripture and in the general practice of the ancient Christian Church, the 
posture of sitting in public prayer is nowhere mentioned, and by no usage 
allowed; but, on the contrary, was universally regarded by the early 
Church as heathenish or irreverent; and is still, even in the customs of 
modern and Western nations, an attitude obviously wanting in the due 
expression of reverence. Therefore the General Assembly resolve, that 
the practice in question be considered grievously improper, whenever the 
infirmities of the worshipper do not render it necessary; and that minis- 
ters be required to reprove it with earnest and persevering admonition." 
"Assembly Digest," p. 205. 



178 THE BRICK CHURCH 

to the church the musical equipment consisted chiefly 
of the clerk, or chorister, as he was then beginning to 
be more frequently called. At first this oflScial con- 
ducted the church's music by simply beating time 
and leading in the singing; but gradually his duties 
were, as we shall see, changed and enlarged. The 
gradual advance in his salary is an indication of this. 
The $100 paid in 1811 was soon increased to $150 or 
$200, with occasional relapses to the original figure. 
One especially valuable man, Marcus Alden, was 
allowed to augment his salary by a collection in the 
church. Later, in the thirties, the figure rose to $500, 
which was the highest reached up to 1850. 

Seventeen different names appear on the list of 
choristers in the forty years, many of them for very 
short terms. Evidently it was a difficult position to 
fill. In 1813, for instance, Mr. Roberts, "a teacher 
of psalmody from Connecticut," is ushered in with a 
decided flourish, but even before the year is out Mr. 
William R. Thompson has succeeded him. Some- 
times the difficulty was increased by the fact that a 
man who could not properly lead the singing was, 
nevertheless, a faithful worker and an excellent 
Christian. There was one instance of this sort so 
striking that it deserves to be recorded for its illustra- 
tion of victory in defeat. INIr. S. P. Pond, who had 
served for several years, was told with regret, in 1841, 
that his work was not giving satisfaction. The com- 
mittee of the session, who presented the matter to him, 
reported, "that ]\Ir. Pond treated the whole subject 
in a kind and Christian s|)irit, himself cheerfully re- 
signed his place, and suggested Mr. Comes as his suc- 
cessor." Also "that Mr. Pond is willing to continue 



RELIGION AND MORALS 179 

his services in assisting Mr. Comes until the first day of 
February next." We are glad to hear that a hearty 
and appreciative resolution was passed and sent to 
this excellent man, and also that it was accompanied 
by a still more substantial recognition of his services. 
Mr. Spring had barely been installed when Mr. 
Holbrook, the chorister of that day, obtained per- 
mission to teach sacred music in the session room on 
two nights in the week. Remembering what an im- 
portant part the singing-school in New Haven had 
played in the life of Mr. Spring himself, one fancies 
that his favorable opinion in regard to such institu- 
tions was not difficult to obtain. This new step — 
new, that is, for the Brick Church — is the first indica- 
tion of any decided movement toward the encourage- 
ment of the congregational singing in the church 
services. In 1815 Wednesday and Friday evenings 
were devoted to this enterprise. At first there was 
apparently no attempt to train any special group of 
people, general improvement in singing appearing 
to be the object in view; but in December, 1819, the 
session records the receipt of a communication from 
"the singers of the congregation" in regard to their 
instruction in vocal music. From this we may con- 
clude that the process of specialization had begun. 
Three years later they had advanced so far as to form 
a society which went under the formidable title of 
"The Association for the Promotion of Sacred Music 
in the Brick Church." What constituted this " sacred 
music" we do not know. At the church services most 
probably nothing but psalms in the metrical version 
and a certain number of hymns were permitted. Possi- 
bly a little more freedom was permitted at the "con- 



180 THE BRICK CHURCH 

certs," which from 1819 were given in the church about 
once a year, partly as a benefit for the chorister and 
partly for some benevolent purpose or the church funds. 
Some idea of the hymns admired and sanctioned in 
the church at this time may be gained from a little 
volume published in 1823 **by request of the mem- 
bers" and entitled "The Brick Church Hymns, De- 
signed for the Use of Social Prayer Meetings and 
Families, Selected from the Most Approved Authors, 
and Recommended by Gardiner Spring, D.D., Pas- 
tor of Said Church." Of the two hundred and fifty- 
odd hymns in this volume only about one-fifth con- 
tinue in use, and only one or two of these are among 
the really good hymns in our modern books; while 
some of the sentiments which were in 1823 com- 
mended to the use of Brick Church peo])le will some- 
what astonish modern readers. For instance, 

"Alas! this adamantine heart, 
This icy rock within! 
Alas! these active powers congealed 
By the deceits of sin." 

It is no wonder that another hymn exclaims: 

*My heart, how dreadful hard it is!" 

Many of the selections dwell with painful persistence 
upon the lessons of mortality, such as that which 
begins, 

"Death! 'Tis a melancholy day," 

or that more famous one, 

"Hark! from the tombs a doleful sound! 

Mine ears, attend the cry — 
'Ye living men, come view the ground, 
Where you must shortly lie.' " 



RELIGION AND MORALS 181 

Even in singing the glad tidings, the joy was not per- 
mitted to be unmixed; witness the uncompromising 
terms of the following: 

"Go preach my gospel, saith the Lord, 
Bid the whole earth my grace receive. 
He shall be saved that trusts my word; 
He shall be damned that won't believe."* 

It should be understood that the hymn books of 
those days contained the words only. The music 
was in a separate volume, and the bills for '* music 
books" became, as time went on, a considerable item 
in the accounts of the treasurer. The fitting of tune 
to psalm (or hymn) was at first the work of a com- 
mittee of the session, consisting of the pastor and two 
elders, but afterward was evidently left to the dis- 
cretion of the chorister. 

* Watts's Hymns, with additions by Dr. Timothy Dwight, had been 
"cheerfully allowed" by the General Assembly in 1802. Four years later 
they declared that other psalms and hymns than those expressly allowed 
might be used, but that sessions and presbyteries must keep strict watch 
to exclude "hymns containing erroneous doctrine or trivial matter." 
Down to 1820 the following books had been authorized: " Rouse's Psalms," 
"Watts's Psalms" and his three volumes of hymns, and Barlow's and 
Dwight's revisions of Watts. In that year the Assembly decided to have 
a book of its own prepared, which should include " a compilation of the 
metrical versions of the Psalms" and "a copious collection of hymns and 
spiritual songs from various authors, giving the preference to those now 
authorized, so far as good taste, sound sense, and enlightened piety admit." 
This book was issued in 1830. A revised edition appeared in 1843. At 
the very end of the period imder discussion, namely in 1848, the Assem- 
bly appointed a committee on church music with special reference to the 
preparation of a book of tunes. One paragraph in the Assembly minutes 
is especially interesting: " It is proposed to add an appropriate selection of 
set pieces for special occasions, such as anthems and chants, both metrical 
and prose, adapted to our psalmody, and also to portions of the common 
prose version of the Book of Psalms and other inspired IjTics from the Old 
and New Testaments." This tune book, or "psalmodist " was completed 
in 1850. See "Assembly Digest," pp. 195 /. 



182 THE BRICK CHURCH 

The musical society above referred to did not last 
long, unhappily. Ten months after its first mention 
in the records it is referred to as "the late association." 
But meantime it had made one hopeful suggestion. 
It had proposed that the singers in the congregation 
have assigned to them certain special pews in the 
gallery of the church. The trustees gave their ap- 
proval and bought certain pews for this purpose, 
making them free of rent for the singers' use. Then 
for the first time a choir might be said to have been 
assembled. This was in 1822. Shortly after this 
either the funds were low or applications for places in 
the choir became suspiciously numerous, for we learn 
that the singers, though continuing to occupy their 
special seats, were required to pay a pew-tax; but 
finally the more generous policy was resumed. Pews 
No. 86, 85 and 38 "in the front gallery" facing the 
pulpit, were set aside for the choir, and permission 
was even given to make such changes in them as 
would adapt them more perfectly to their purpose. 

In 1825 musical matters were not considered to be 
in a satisfactory state. The trustees took measures 
"to make, if possible, some improvement in the sing- 
ing department of this congregation." Possibly as a 
result of their activity, a second musical society was 
formed in the next year, called the "Asaph Associa- 
tion," and a couple of years later we become aware 
of another innovation. The board of trustees at that 
time resolves "that Mr. Rolla and his daughters be 
engaged to fill the choir for one year." Besides the 
somewhat amusing form of this statement, the fact 
stated is worth noting, for it indicates that in 1828, 
other paid singers besides the chorister began to be 



RELIGION AND MORALS 183 

employed. Mr. Cole, who succeeded Mr. Rolla, was 
assisted in like manner by a Miss Gould, and the con- 
siderable sums of money which soon after this were 
voted from time to time for "improvement of the 
choir" suggest that other singers not mentioned by 
name may have been employed. 

In regard to the question of instrumental music 
our information is meagre. No mention of any such 
accompaniment to the singing appears in the records 
of this period until 1844, when we learn that Mr. 
Samuel Johnson was paid $25 a quarter to play the 
violoncello ; and from that time on this appropriation 
continued to be made at regular intervals. But how 
are we to interpret the entire silence of the records in 
regard to instrumental music during the first thirty- 
four years of Dr. Spring's pastorate ? * Possibly the 
"orchestra" of which we heard in the days following 
the Revolution, had been discontinued, a stricter 
standard having been introduced, forgetful of the 
biblical warrant for the use in worship of trumpets, 
psalteries, and harps, stringed instruments, organs, 
and high-sounding cymbals. Or it may be that dur- 
ing the earlier part of the nineteenth century the 
players upon instruments had rendered their service 
without remuneration, so that the records of the 
trustees had no need to refer to them. The most that 
can be said with certainty is that the violoncello was 
a regular feature of the Brick Church music, from 
1844 and until its place was taken by a more modern 
instrument.! 

* Except that a small organ, evidently for use in rehearsals, was ad- 
mitted to the lecture room at the desire of the "Asaph Association." 

t The General Assembly in 1845, in reply to an overture from the 
Synod of Cincinnati on the subject of instrumental music, adopted the fol- 



184 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Without underestimating in the slightest degree the 
power of Dr. Spring's impressive eloquence to build 
up and maintain a faithful congregation, we need not 
doubt that the improved music and especially the 
opportunity to have a hand (or even a voice) in that 
improvement was a decided help. There were, how- 
ever, times when, it is plain, any such aid was ab- 
solutely unnecessary, times when services grew and 
multiplied as though of their own accord, and when 
the distinctly religious interest was so great that the 
problem was to control and apply rather than to 
create it. 

From the year 1792, and still more strikingly after 
1800, the American churches had experienced a 
remarkable series of religious awakenings. Hardly 
a month passed but some village, some city, or some 
college reported a "revival." Mr. Spring himself, 
as we have seen, had been greatly influenced by 
sharing in such an experience at Yale, and it w^as 
manifestly his great desire, as soon as he was settled 
in New York, that his own church should be visited 
by the revival spirit. His preaching, as we have seen, 
was carefully calculated to promote this end, and in- 
deed during his first three or four years there were 
several "seasons of deep reflection and fervent 
prayer," which, though of short duration, had made 
a deep impression upon many individuals. 

lowing minute; "^\'hereas, By our constitution the whole internal arrange- 
ment of a church, as to worship and order, is committed to the minister 
and session; therefore, Resolved, That this Assembly do not feel themselves 
called and obliged to take any further order on this subject, but leave 
to each session the delicate and important matter of arranging and con- 
ducting the music as to them shall seem most for edification, recommend- 
ing great caution, prudence and forbearance in regard to it." "Assembly 
Digest," p. 197. 



RELIGION AND MORALS 185 

During the summer of 1815,* there began a much 
more important and enduring movement. Pastor 
and people were moved alike by what seemed to be a 
new earnestness. Days of fasting and prayer were 
occasionally observed, and what was still more note- 
worthy, the younger men of the church organized 
a special weekly meeting for prayer which met at 
private houses on Saturday evenings. "Our Sab- 
baths," says Dr. Spring, "became deeply solemn and 
affecting. We watched for them like those who 
watch for the morning." f "What days of heaven 
upon earth!" exclaimed old Mr. Horace Holden, re- 
calling the services of this same period. "No tongue 
can describe them. . . . Every pew filled, the gal- 
leries crowded in every part with anxious and devout 
worshippers. . . . What a beautiful and sublime 
spectacle to behold the vast assembly retiring after 
each service in profound silence, to meditate and 
pray. Amid these scenes of mercy it is delightful to 

* Dr. Spring in his autobiography says "the summer of 1814," and 
states that the New Year's sermon (to be described presently) was 
preached on the last day of the same year. But December Slst, 1814, was a 
Saturday, so that the next day was both Sunday and New Year and the 
New Year's sermon would certainly have been preached on that day. 
Moreover, the sermon refers in the following terms to the peace which 
closed the War of 1812: "In the recent desolations of our land, we were 
not exempt from our portion of calamity. But the silver clarion of peace 
has again vibrated on our ears, and the rich blessings of peace have been 
again restored in unexampled profusion. Worldly prosperity has been 
flowing in upon us in deep, wide channels, and all classes of men have been 
growing rich." Now the peace of Ghent was signed on December 24th, 
1814, and the news of it did not reach New York till February, 1815. 
Moreover, it is evident from the above quotation itself that months rather 
than days had already passed since the peace was declared. Dr. Spring, 
we must therefore conclude, had made a mistake of a year. The sermon 
was preached on Sunday, December 31st, 1815, and the summer of revival 
referred to was the summer of that year, instead of the year previous. 

t"Br. Ch. Mem.," p. 22. 



186 THE BRICK CHURCH 

know that almost every member of the church was 
actively employed."* 

On the last day of 1815, Mr. Spring put his whole 
soul into a New Year's sermon, to which later was 
given the appropriate title "Something Must Be 
Done."t The pastor, as we learn from this impor- 
tant discourse, was by no means content with the 
evidences of revival already existing among his 
people. He felt that as yet there had been no 
"general out-pouring of the Holy Spirit," and his 
aim was to secure for them, if possible, this supreme 
blessing. In spite of the interest already manifested, 
he felt that the love of riches and the comforts of a 
time of prosperity and peace, | were blinding the eyes 
of many, even of many Christians, to the higher inter- 
ests of religion. In view of all this, he declares that 
"something must be done." He calls upon his peo- 
ple to repent as a church, sincerely to desire a revival, 
to pray for it, to work for it, and not least, to expect it. 
If they so act, they will not, in his judgment, be disap- 
pointed. But if they neglect their duty in this matter, 
he cannot but warn them of their responsibility for 
those who, for the want of this revival, will be over- 
taken in their sins. This most solemn and fervent 
address seems to have been, under God, the means 
of achieving the end to which it so ardently looked. 
The effect, indeed, was almost instantaneous. The 
next Sunday, the first of the New Year, was marked 
by services especially solemn, and from that time, 
continuing through the winter and even longer, men 

*"Br. Ch. Mem.,"p. 145. 

t It was published and ran throuph four editions. 

X The War of 1812 had recently been concluded. See note on preceding 
page. 



RELIGION AND MORALS 187 

and women were continually seeking admission to 
the discipleship of Christ in a spirit which had not 
been known before. 

It must not be supposed that the cruder methods of 
evangelistic appeal, which were perhaps more preva- 
lent at that time than at the present day, were ever 
adopted in the Brick Church. Dr. Spring had a very 
positive repugnance for "getting up" * a revival. He 
says expressly of the revivals in his church, that in 
them "there were no *new measures,' no * anxious 
seats,' and no public announcement of the names or 
the number of those who were striving to enter into 
the strait gate." The means used were simple. 
First "there was prayer," and upon this he lays chief 
emphasis. Then "there was solemn and earnest 
preaching," and "there were private circles for re- 
ligious conversation, and prayer, and praise, and these 
scarcely known beyond the individuals who composed 
them." He mentions particularly a day of fasting, 
humiliation, and prayer, which he shared with some 
thirty others of the church one Thursday of January, 
1816. They met at a private house in Church Street, 
just in the rear of St. Paul's, " and such a day," he says, 
"I never saw before, and have never seen since." f 

It is not possible to follow further the details of this 
memorable epoch in the church's life, or to describe 
other similar experiences in the course of the next 
twenty years ;| nor would it be accordant with the 

* "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 219. 

t Ihid, Vol. I, p. 166. 

X Dr. Murray says: "That remarkable series of revivals seems to have 
ended in 1834. Then came the work of training in Christian knowledge 
those who had been converted to Christ by this ministry." "Memprjal 
Piscourse," p. 18. 



188 THE BRICK CHURCH 

spirit by which the church was then controlled to 
record even now the number of converts or to give 
the names of those, afterward pillars of the church, 
who were thus claimed for the Master's service; but 
there is hardly need of further statement to prove that 
the Brick Church in the years which we are here 
studying, was a place where deep and genuine religion 
was effectively urged and earnestly accepted. 

Besides its services and meetings the church em- 
ployed two other means of caring for the religious 
and moral needs of the people, namely, visitation and 
discipline. To the work of the pastor in carrying his 
message and influence into the homes of the people 
emphatic witness is given by one of his parishioners. 
He speaks, it will be noticed, with discrimination. 
Dr. Spring, he tells us, did not make frequent calls 
upon his people as a matter of routine, and it was 
well understood that he regarded his preaching, to- 
gether with the necessary preparation for it, as the 
most important part of his ministry. All the more 
impressive, therefore, is this testimony of the parish- 
ioner to the faithful pastor. The people of the Brick 
Church, he says, had been taught by their experience 
under Dr. Spring to esteem pastoral visitation a 
valuable means of grace. Especially in the memor- 
able seasons of unusual interest had their pastor made 
use of this method ''going from family to family to 
guide enquiring souls, cheer the faint, comfort the 
feeble-minded. . . . Not one weary heavy-laden sin- 
ner was overlooked. ... I do not recollect," con- 
cludes this witness, who knew the church as few did, 
"I do not recollect to have heard of an instance in 
which a pastoral visit was neglected, if there was any 



RELIGION AND MORALS 189 

real call for it, or the least prospect of doing any 
good."* 

The sharing of this work of visitation in those days 
by the members of the session is a matter that needs 
to be brought to the attention of modern Presbyterians, 
who would probably be astonished to receive from the 
elders of their church such calls as were customary 
in the early nineteenth century. Dr. Samuel Miller, 
in a sermon on Ruling Elders, delivered in 1809, thus 
describes this particular function of the elders' oflSce. 
"It is their duty to converse with and admonish in 
private those who appear to be growing careless, or 
falling into habits in any respect criminal, suspicious, 
or unpromising. It is their duty to visit and pray 
with the sick, as far as their circumstances admit, and 
to request the attendance of the pastor on the sick 
and dying, as may be judged desirable. It is their 
duty to visit the members of the church and their 
families ; to converse with them ; to instruct the igno- 
rant; to confirm the wavering; to caution the un- 
wary ; to encourage the timid ; and to excite and ani- 
mate all classes to a faithful and exemplary discharge 
of duty." f 

That the elders of the Brick Church did not always 
live up to the height of this ideal, we may believe 
without seriously accusing them of lukewarmness in 
their service, but that they themselves held the ideal 
before their eyes is made evident on more than one 
page of their records. Mention may be made of one 
instance where they undertook "to digest a system of 
measures with the view to extending their official visita- 

* Horace Holden in "Br. Ch. Mem.," p. 141. 
t "The Divine Appointment," etc., pp. 31 /. 



190 THE BRICK CHURCH 

tions to the members of this congregation." And there 
is another minute which still more clearly indicates 
the seriousness with which they regarded their own 
participation in this ministry. In October, 1820, after 
a meeting *' devoted to prayer and friendly conversa- 
tion on the present languishing state of this church," 
they appoint a committee to suggest, not merely what 
may be done in general, but what they themselves 
can personally do, to better the situation, and, of the 
four measures afterward adopted, one proposed to 
consider it "the duty of each individual of the session 
to converse with a given number of the congregation 
at least once a week, on the importance of personal 
piety, and that reports of such interviews be made to 
the session at each monthly meeting," while another 
provided "that in his pastoral visits the minister be 
associated with one of the elders, and that each elder 
perform this service in rotation." 

In the administration of discipline for errors and 
offences, the final means of supervising and controlling 
the private life of the members, the elders played a 
still more prominent part, for this work was always 
carried on by the session as a whole, in which the 
pastor had only such superior authority as belonged 
to his position as moderator. The amount of time 
devoted to this work, the patience and system with 
which it was executed, and the conscientious adminis- 
tration of justice which it exhibits make this element 
of the church life an impressive one. That the record 
of it is not pleasant, need not be said. It is not agree- 
able to read here the record of old sins and follies and 
insincerities, to learn that in those days there were 
some black sheep in the fold. But, after all, we know 



RELIGION AND MORALS 191 

well enough that the mere profession of Christianity 
does not at any time ensure a pure heart and an 
honest life, so that this record of discipline in the 
Brick Church of the early nineteenth century merely 
illustrates by concrete instances a well-known fact; 
and on the other hand, the courageous facing of the 
practical problem thus made manifest, the reclaiming 
of some, and the protection of the church from the 
accusation of indifference to the sins of its own mem- 
bers — all this serves to give the subject an honorable 
place in the church's history. 

It will be instructive to present an abstract of the 
procedure in one specific case, as an illustration of the 
general method. Information having been received 
that Mr. C, a member of the church, is addicted to the 
habit of intemperance, a committee is appointed to 
expostulate with him. He acknowledges his offence, 
gives "some evidence of penitence" and promises to 
reform. The session then "consider it their duty to 
forbear with Mr. C. for a short period, . . . while 
at the same time they view themselves under obliga- 
tion to watch over their offending brother with re- 
doubled diligence." Four months later they perceive 
that he has not mended his ways and that a trial can- 
not be avoided. A committee is accordingly ap- 
pointed to obtain the necessary evidence. This, un- 
happily, is an easy matter, and furthermore there now 
appears to be ground for adding profanity to the orig- 
inal accusation. Finally, the day of trial is set, and 
Mr. C. is cited to appear. The trial is duly held * 
and the examination, in which he is forced to acknowl- 

* Had he failed to respond after three citations they would have pro- 
ceeded in his absence. 



m THE BRICK CHURCH 

edge the justice of the charge, is carefully recorded, 
with questions and answers given in full. As a result 
he is "suspended from sealing ordinances." A com- 
mittee informs him of this sentence and urges upon 
him repentance and reformation. Two years now 
pass, and it becomes necessary to inquire whether 
still more severe measures should not be adopted. 
Evidence is obtained that Mr. C. is now guilty of 
bigamy in addition to the original offences. The 
Presbytery is consulted. A second trial is held in 
which the accused makes a full confession, but with- 
out due evidence of sorrow. The Presbytery, again 
appealed to, counsels the imposition of the full pen- 
alty, and Mr. C. is accordingly "excommunicated." 
The sentence is publicly announced, and is recorded 
in the minutes of the session in the following terms: 
" Whereas Mr. C. hath been, by sufficient proof, con- 
victed of the sin of habitual intemperance, and also 
of the crime of bigamy, and after much admonition 
and prayer obstinately refuseth to hear the church, 
and hath manifested no evidence of repentance ; there- 
fore in the name, and by the authority, of the Lord 
Jesus Christ we pronounce him to be excluded from 
the communion of the church." 

The penalties imposed upon the unrepentant were, 
as we have just seen, either excommunication or sus- 
pension, which involved especially exclusion from 
the Lord's Supper, and which might be publicly 
announced or not, according to the circumstances. 
Those who declared themselves to be repentant were 
required to make reparation in case of injuries done 
to other persons, and commonly to make a public 
confession of their sin and of their sorrow for it. No 



RELIGION AND MORALS 193 

clearer conception of the effect of this last expedient 
could be given than in the record of one pathetic 
instance which I shall venture to quote. It may 
seem, at first sight, to set forth the session of the 
church as a stern and awful court of judgment, but 
even in the formal record we can surely hear a deep 
note of pity and tenderness, by which the judges 
were really controlled, and which made even so hard 
a punishment as is here described not altogether un- 
bearable. "The moderator stated," say the minutes, 
"that information had been communicated, stating 

the very reproachful conduct of , widow of , 

one of the members of this church. . . . The mod- 
erator also stated that he had called on Mrs. in 

company with one of the session; that Mrs. did 

not deny the fact; that she appeared penitent for 

her crime. . . . Mrs. herself, being present [at the 

session meeting], begged the privilege of confessing 
her folly, and desired the forgiveness of God and the 
church. She stated . . . that she felt she had sinned 
greatly against God; that she felt . . . heartily 
sorry that she had brought reproach on the name of 
Christ, and that she was willing to humble herself 
in any shape and seek forgiveness. Whereupon, 
Resolved, after much deliberation and anxiety, that 

Mrs. be required to make a public confession 

before the whole [church] this evening, at their quar- 
terly prayer-meeting, and be restored to Christian 
privileges. Resolved that the moderator publicly 

address Mrs. , and read, and unite in singing the 

51st Psalm at the close of the exercise, and finally 
close the whole with prayer." The purpose of 
mercy which prompted this judgment is evident, as 



194 THE BRICK CHURCH 

has been already said, but certainly much love and 
tenderness in session and congregation were neces- 
sary in order to make the bearing of such public 
shame a true means of grace. 

The transgressions that were dealt with by these 
faithful guardians of the flock were numerous. We 
may divide them into two separate classes; First, 
those which were distinctly offences against religion. 
These were violation of the Sabbath, neglect of 
prayer, neglect of public worship, neglect of the 
Lord's Supper, heresy (for example, "the crime of 
disbelieving in the inspiration of the Holy Scrip- 
tures") and infidelity or atheism. The second class 
consisted of offences against morals. Here intem- 
perance was the most common charge, and there 
were, besides, keeping bad company, profanity, un- 
chastity, dishonesty in various forms, card-playing 
and theatre-going. There were between thirty and 
forty cases of discipline in the forty years we are 
now studying. 

It is a fact not unworthy of notice that discipline 
for what was regarded as worldly and un-Christian 
amusement was inconspicuous, showing that the 
session used its powers in no bitterly inquisitorial 
spirit. The charges of card-playing and theatre- 
going above referred to appear but three times in 
the records, and even then were merely additional to 
others of a more serious nature. Dr. Spring, it should 
be noted, held strict views in regard to the grave dan- 
gers inherent in "gay amusements and the various 
pursuits of the present scene." * He was "thor- 

* Spring's "Essays," p. 191. See also for quotations which follow, 
"Hints to Parents," p. 24, anii "Life and Times," Vol. I, p. 128. 



RELIGION AND MORALS 195 

oughly, and more and more, persuaded that the 
great mass of novels and plays exert a pernicious in- 
fluence, both on the intellectual and moral character." 
To dancing he was emphatically opposed. It dis- 
tressed him greatly that Christian parents would 
countenance it for their children, and was led by it 
to exclaim that "our mercurial youth live for folly 
and fun." "Balls and assemblies," to his mind, were 
the natural enemies of the Spirit of God. At the 
same time he perceived that "youth" (or as he pre- 
ferred to call it, "old Adam"), was a very real force 
in the world. "It is a foregone conclusion that our 
young people will dance," he said with a naive sort 
of sadness; and he had to confess that in these mat- 
ters he had not been able effectually to stem the tide. 
Positive as he was in his own opinion, it was certainly 
a sign of moderation that he practically did not use 
at all the power of church discipline to enforce his 
view. 

The control of the morals of Christians by the 
session acting in its judicatory capacity is now seldom 
attempted. In the more complex life of our great 
modern cities it would be almost impracticable in the 
absence of any legal power to summon witnesses. 
We have not the ready means of knowing the facts 
of the inner life of our neighbors as men did seventy- 
five or a hundred years ago. Perhaps, moreover, our 
repugnance for undertaking this painful work has 
something to do with our neglect of the old method. 
In this latter reason Dr. Spring would have had no 
sympathy with us. "Church discipline," he said, 
looking back upon the practice of the Brick Church 
in this matter, "is not less truly an ordinance of 



196 THE BRICK CHURCH 

God than church Communion. No church can 
prosper that connives at heresy or immorahty among 
its communicants. ... It has often been at great 
sacrifice of feeling, and some of interest and influ- 
ence, that these acts of discipHne have been per- 
formed; but, however reluctantly and cautiously, it 
is a work that has to be done." 

It is unfortunate that there was no occasion for 
the session to inquire formally into the lives of its 
good and faithful members, whose record would re- 
mind us that the offenders, who were dealt with in 
the way described above, constituted a very small 
minority. No such authoritative records exist. But 
we will not admit that Antony in the play was right, 
and that only "the evil that men do lives after them." 
On the contrary, the good lived on, in other and 
better ways than on the pages of minute books; and 
even in books, though of the less formal sort, some 
happy memories of the individual members of the 
Brick Church between 1810 and 1850 have been 
preserved for us. 

Two or three such passages may be quoted, in the 
hope that, at least, they will help the reader to see with 
his mind's eye the forms and faces of some of those 
whose memories are cherished by the church, and to feel 
that he has gained some personal acquaintance with 
these good people. The first passage is from an ad- 
dress by Horace Holden, already several times quoted* 
He is looking back, in memory, to the most faithful 
and beloved of those officers of the church who had 
died before the time at which he spoke. They had, 
all of them, served in the early years of Dr. Spring's 

* "Br. Ch. Mem.," pp. 14G /. 



RELIGION AND MORALS 197 

ministry. He says, "I may not omit to mention the 
sedate and venerable John * Bingham; the warm- 
hearted and heavenly-minded William Whitlock; the 
meek and childlike Richard Cunningham ; the intelli- 
gent and upright Peter Hawes ; the wise and useful Ste- 
phen Lockwood ;f the respected and pious Rensselaer 
Havens; the courteous Horace W. Bulkley; the con- 
servative and gentlemanly Alfred de Forest ; the sober- 
minded John Stephens; the urbane and gentle John 
C. Halsey; the amiable and exemplary Daniel Oak- 
ley; the earnest and devout Abraham Bokee; the 
humble, lowly and refined John McComb ; the guile- 
less and unassuming Samuel Brown; the modest 
and diffident William Luyster; the sincere and un- 
pretending Elijah Mead; the consistent and de- 
voted Richard Harding; and John Adams the in- 
flexible and just." To this list must be added one 
other name, in words recorded by the pastor of the 
church. Among the members of the original session, 
all of them men of worth and influence, *'the ruling 
spirit," says Dr. Spring, '*and the man eminent for 
discernment, practical wisdom, ardent piety, and 
vigorous action, was John Mills." Thus much for 
the elders and deacons of those early days. In regard 
to the congregation as a whole we fortunately pos- 
sess, in an address by one of the later officers, a brief 
characterization of the people among whom Gardiner 
Spring began his ministry. "As I remember this 
community in early life," says Mr. Daniel Lord, "the 

* The Christian names, not in the original, are here inserted. 

t One of the most competent, most esteemed, and beloved members of 
the session. He was killed, almost in the sight of Dr. Spring, by a boiler 
explosion on the steamer Oliver Ellsworth, in 1827. He and his pastor were 
returning together from an ecclesiastical council in Sonnecticut. » 



198 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Brick Church congregation was composed of men in 
the middle ranks of life — thinking, working, inde- 
pendent men ; men whom you could not drive by fear, 
nor coax by favor, and with whom you could not deal 
without intellectual conviction. Convince them and 
they were yours; fail to convince them, and they 
were the most independent body of men that could 
be seen." * 

The other roll of names, which shall form the 
conclusion of this chapter, is of a different character 
from that of Mr. Holden, given above. It is only an 
extract fr.om a reminiscent sketch f in a newspaper, 
and did we not supplement it from other sources 
would give us little more than a glimpse of the outer 
appearance of some of the people who attended the 
Brick Church in the twenties, thirties, and forties of 
the nineteenth century, yet even from such a source 
as this we may be able to gain some impression of 
the wholesome Christian graces of Dr. Spring's 
parishioners. 

"Let us walk into the church a fine Sunday morn- 
ing in spring, and see whom we shall find there — you 
and I, reader — and I will answer all your questions. 
There is ]\Ioses Allen, with his bright, cheery face, 
[a man generous, active in Christian work, and 
prominent in all benevolent enterprises,! '-^^^^^ there 

*"Br. Ch.Mpm.,"p. 154. 

t By R. W. Newman, published in the "Evening Mail" in 1873. The 
text has been sliglitly rearranged and abridged. Additions are indicated 
by brackets. 

t This insertion is from the session records, which add also: "We shall 
miss his beaming face. We shall miss the affectionate interest with which 
he regarded his associates. We shall miss his cheering words." Dr. 
Beven, the pastor at the time of Mr. Allen's death, described him in these 
tenns: "Busy, familiar with earthly pursuits, wise with the wistlom that 



RELIGION AND MORALS 199 

are] his pretty daughters, Miss Priscilla * and Miss 
Charlotte. They live in St. John's Square, and are 
among the admired belles of their locale. There is 
Eli Goodwin, of the firm of Goodwin, Fisher and 
Spencer, with his two interesting daughters, and a 
little one, Caroline, one of our first young ladies to 
make the tour of Europe in the old packet-ship days. 
She and Susan Spring, f daughter of the pastor, were 
in Paris together, and they were there called the 
* beautiful Americans.' That is Jonathan Thompson 
with his wife; he is Collector of our Custom House. 
That is Daniel Parish [one of the trustees, a man of 
energetic temperament, reticent in speech, a strong 
adherent of Dr. Spring and the Brick Church], J and 
that Drake Mills [a trustee also, and described by his 
colleagues as uniformly attentive and courteous, one 
who fully commanded both confidence and esteem]. 
"In the next pew is Anthony Dey and his hand- 
some family. That is Miss Catherine Patton, an 
heiress, step-sister of Rev. Dr. Patton. She has since 
died, leaving handsome bequests to many charitable 
societies. There is Abijah Fisher, a man of talent 
and poverty, who rose to great distinction by his 
merits. That is Joseph Sampson, a large merchant, 
who lives at 116 Chambers Street. He recently lived 

gives a man influence and force among his fellow-men, he still lived as ever 
in his Master's presence. There was a peculiar sweetness and gentleness, 
a simplicity of demeanor, a directness of character in him, which belonged 
rather to the higher than the lower life." He was a prominent and prosper- 
ous banker. 

* Afterward Mrs. Thomas P. Lathrop. 

t Afterward Mrs. Paul Spofford. 

t The following note in regard to him has an interest beyond its refer- 
ence to himself: "He was very matter-of-fact and indisposed to argue a 
point when he knew he was right, so that he kept from discussing doc- 
trinal points which rnade so large a portion of the church life of that period." 



200 THE BRICK CHURCH 

in the elegant house at the corner of Broad Street 
and Broadway, now [1873] in process of demolition. 
There are Abner L. Ely [sagacious in counsel, firm 
in his convictions, scrupulously honest, generous, 
conscientious, systematic in his benevolence,* and 
Jasper Corning, whose family has long been con- 
nected with the church], and Thomas Egleston [that 
humble-minded and consistent Christian, 'ever es- 
teeming others better than himself,' much beloved 
for his uniform courtesy and fidelity]. f That tall, 
straight man is George Douglass, a merchant of good 
standing and a man of great and good mind. 

"That is Horace Holden of No. 34 Beekman 
Street. He was a great man in the church [the right 
hand of his pastor and deeply beloved by him — be- 
loved, in fact, by every one, an invaluable friend, 
'a Christian lawyer,' prompt and diligent in office, 
cheerful, useful, and wise]. J There is Miss Maria 
Laight, afterward Madame de Gourley; and there 
are Anson G. Phelps [unostentatious though pros- 

* See "A Memorial of Abner L. Ely" (1873). He was a prominent real- 
estate broker. He failed in the panic of '37. Thirty years later he had the 
satisfaction of paying off the whole of the old indebtedness. The following 
is a portion of a letter sent by one of the creditors at that time. " Yours 
of yesterday, inclosing cheque for , principal and interest on an in- 
debtedness to the old firm of , is at hand. I hardly know how to ex- 

presstmy surprise and pleasure in the receipt of this money; not so much, 
I trust, in its money value as from its moral worth. Your own experience 
in mercantile life must bear witness to the rarity of such returns, after 
having been outlawed and forgotten. So far as regards yourself, it is only 
the natural outgrowth of those religious principles which you have illus- 
trated by an active Christian life; and I sincerely thank you, and thank 
God, for such an example by his followers." Mr. Ely's affection for the 
Brick Church was deep and constant. " That beloved church," he called it 
in a letter to his pastor, dictated from his dying bed. 

t From the session records. 

t From the trustees' records and Disosway's "Earliest Churches of 
N. Y.,"p. 154. 



RELIGION AND MORALS 201 

perous, benevolent, given to hospitality, especially if 
the guest was a clergyman,]* and Daniel Lord, a 
great lawyer, a man of uncommon industry, and of 
the highest Christian character. He united with the 
church in 1833, at which time he was marked as a 
rising man. His fame has since increased, and he 
has been engaged in every prominent case in our 
courts for many years. f 

"There are James McCall, a merchant of high 
standing, Samuel B. Schiefflin, the druggist in Wil- 
liam Street, and Samuel Marsh, J of Erie Railroad 
fame, an old bachelor who lived at the Astor House 
as soon as it was built, and continued to do so till 
he died. William Black, of Ball, Black & Co., is 
yonder, and Isaac Kip, father of Bishop Kip of 
California. [Mr. Kip was one of those who had 
been in the church almost from the beginning of 
Dr. Spring's pastorate; and with him must be men- 
tioned another of the older generation, William 
Couch, who, in the course of his long connection with 
the church, served as deacon, elder and trustee]. § 
Shepherd Knapp, [a leather merchant in the 'Swamp,' 
and afterward for almost forty years President of 
the Mechanics' National Bank, a close friend also of 

* "Disosway," p. 151. 

t His colleagues in the session record their appreciation of his "judg- 
ment, charity, cheerful service and consistent example," which "have 
tended to secure [the church's] harmony and prosperity." Daniel Webster 
was his intimate friend and often sat in his pew when in New York. 

t He was a pew-holder, but does not appear to have been a member. 

§ As deacon (from 1823) " he cared for the poor with great assiduity 
and wisdom and in the tender spirit of his Master." To his duties as elder 
(from 183-4), he brought "a firm independent judgment exercised always 
in Christian modesty." In the board of trustees he served as clerk, then 
as treasurer, and finally for many years as president. From the session 
records. 



202 THE BRICK CHURCH 

the pastor, and like Mr. Couch, a holder of the three 
church offices], was, with his family, an attendant at 
this church; and Guy Richards [admired and loved 
for his honor, his generosity, his frankness, and his 
genial courtesy],* was a conspicuous member." 

* Thus characterized by one who well remembers him, and who sup- 
plies also the following facts: Mr. Richards' New England home training 
made him ever a sincere and childlike believer in the truths of Christinnity, 
and for more than forty years he was a regular worshipper in the Brick 
Church. Not until late in life, however, did he make an open confession 
of his faith, being deterred by conscientious motives. The persuasion of his 
pastors, who had no doubt about his fitness, were for a long time ineffectual. 
One evening, in 1867, Dr. Newman Hall preached in the Brick Churcfi to 
a crowded audience, from the text Gen. 24 : 31, "Come in, thou blessed 
of the Lord; wherefore standest thou without?" Mr. Richards, being hard 
of hearing, was provided with an arm-chair and sat directly beneath the 
pulpit. That sermon brought him into the church, he being then above 
eighty years of age. He was a graduate of Yale, had studied law, followed 
the sea for several years, and later was highly successful in commercial 
life. The present pastor of the Brick Church is his great-nephew. 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE SCHOOLS: 1810-1850 

"What children are to be at a more advanced age depends on the character they 
form in childhood. . . . Here, then, at this most interesting period of their existence, 
when the understanding is docile, the memory tenacious, the fancy vivid, the 
sensibilities tender, and the character accessible by a thousand avenues which will be 
closed in maturer age-are parents called on to decide the deterioration and degen- 
eracy or the improvement and progression of human society. -Gardiner Spring. 
" Hints to Parents," pp. 44 f. 

"Your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evU. 
they shaU go in thither, and unto them will I give [the land), and they shall possess 
it." — Deuteronomy 1 : 39. 

IT will be remembered that, when in 1809, the 
Brick Church became a separate ecclesiastical 
body, it retained, according to the terms of the 
agreement, its one-half interest in the land and build- 
ing of the Presbyterian charity school on Nassau 
Street, and a proportionate responsibility for its sup- 
port and management. Almost immediately, how- 
ever, there came an opportunity to sell the property 
at an advantageous price, and thus dispose of the 
joint control, which, had it long continued, could 
not but have caused inconvenience. The sale, for 
$6,500, was effected in the spring of 1810. 

The trustees of the Brick Church, although now 
without any school-building, did not intend that the 
charity school should cease. They entered at once 
into an arrangement with one Seabury Ely to take 
such charity scholars as the Brick Church might 
send to him, and to instruct them, in quarters pro- 

203 



204 THE BRICK CHURCH 

vided by himself, under the superintendence of the 
school committee of the trustees. He was to be 
paid at the rate of nine dollars a year for each child, 
books and stationery being furnished by the church. 
Under this arrangement thirty * children were in- 
structed in "all those branches of literature which it is 
supposed will be most useful to them," by which, 
however, it is likely that nothing more "literary" was 
intended than reading, writing, figuring, and the cate- 
chism. The church also provided for the " cloathing" 
of these scholars. (It is noticeable that in those days 
spelling was never explicitly mentioned as an essen- 
tial element of education.) 

Our first inquiry concerns the sources of income 
for the carrying on of the school. In November, 
1812, the annual accounts showed that $1,291.22 
had been received "by collections and otherwise," 
and of this $654.60 had been expended. The word 
"otherwise" here employed refers evidently to cer- 
tain assistance from the State. For the State had by 
this time begun tardily to feel its obligation to share 
the burden of educating the poor. A movement had 
been started by a group of people in New York City 
in 1805 to establish free schools for such children as 
were not provided for by any religious organization. 
A society then formed to accomplish this end, and 
known afterward as "The Free School Society of 
New York," succeeded in opening in 1809, in a 
building on Chatham Street, the first non-sectarian 
school in New York City. School No. 2 followed 
promptly in 1811. These events had had an indirect 
effect upon public policy, and the State Legislature 

* Forty for a limited period, beginning May, 1811. 



THE SCHOOLS 205 

had, before the time of the separation of the Presby- 
terian churches, made a grant for schools, of which 
the Presbyterians had received £626, 6s., 5d., to be 
held as a fund whose interest should be used for 
the charity school maintained by them. The Brick 
Church, after the separation, had its proper share 
of this annual income. 

In 1813, provision was made for still further State 
aid. The Legislature voted an appropriation and 
ordered that that part of it received by the City and 
County of New York should be apportioned among 
the Free School Society, the Orphan Asylum Society, 
the Society of the Economical School, the African 
Free School, and those incorporated religious socie- 
ties in the city by which charity schools were sup- 
ported. In return it was necessary to make regular 
reports to the State Commissioner. The funds thus 
secured, added to the collections taken in the church, 
evidently provided ample money for the Brick Church 
school expenses. 

The provision of a permanent school-house, on the 
other hand, proved to be a difficult undertaking. 
At first, however, the prospect was hopeful, for soon 
after the sale of the old school property on Nassau 
Street, the Brick Church was so fortunate as to ob- 
tain from the city the grant of "Lot No. 21 in Augus- 
tus Street," agreeing to pay for it a low annual 
rental. This piece of land was given with the express 
stipulation that the church should erect a school- 
house upon it and maintain a charity school therein: 
otherwise it should revert to the city. 

No doubt the expectation had been to build at 
once, but almost immediately a time of depression in 



206 THE BRICK CHURCH 

business intervened, caused by the political disturb- 
ances which resulted in the War of 1812. The city 
authorities in May, 1813, deeming that the failure of 
the church to raise the necessary sum at that unpro- 
pitious time was excusable, were pleased to extend 
the period for erecting the school-house until the end 
of the war. When, however, peace had been de- 
clared and the months still increased to years with- 
out the fulfilment of the church's part of the agree- 
ment, the patience of the Corporation of the City 
was exhausted, and at some time prior to November, 
1817, the lot on Augustus Street had been declared 
forfeited. The trustees of the Brick Church, when 
they applied for another similar grant, were refused, 
and were fain to be content with receiving back from 
the city some $671, which they had already paid on 
the first lot. Thus ended the last attempt to provide 
a permanent school-house; for by the time that re- 
turning prosperity made the church able to carry out 
its plan, the necessity no longer existed. 

Meantime, during all the years covered by these 
futile negotiations the Brick Church scholars had 
continued to be taught in the manner already de- 
scribed, and for five years of that time Seabury Ely 
continued to be the teacher. 

We learn from a report to the State, made in 1814, 
that the school was held throughout the entire year, 
and that the largest number of scholars (31) attended 
during the quarter extending from the middle of 
May to the middle of August. The ages of the chil- 
dren ranged from four to fifteen years. As to the 
supervision of the trustees we know that in 1812 they 
ordered "that the charitv scholars be examined in 



THE SCHOOLS 207 

the session room quarterly, the teacher being present 
at the examination." To the first of these awful en- 
counters the children were summoned on Saturday, 
June 6th, at three o'clock in the afternoon. 

But our fullest information in regard to the man- 
agement of the school, and indeed, concerning its 
whole character, is provided by ''The Rules of Gov- 
ernment of the Charity School," which were pre- 
sented by the school committee of the trustees and 
adopted by the board in November, 1814. They are 
comprehensive, and tell us in considerable detail the 
things we most desire to know. We learn from them, 
for instance, that there were at this time about thirty 
children, boys and girls, and that they were not now 
received at such an early age as formerly, the girls 
not till they were six, and the boys, evidently a duller 
species, not until they were seven. Many of these 
little people were orphans, for to such children pref- 
erence was given, but in any case they were children 
of Presbyterian parents who were, or during their 
life-time had been, in full communion with the 

church. . 

All applications for admission were entered in a 
certain book which the teacher kept, and were sub- 
mitted in due time to the school committee of the 
trustees, who made selection of the fortunate names. 
No doubt the children themselves might have ques- 
tioned this assertion of their good fortune in being 
selected, for the school was by no means intended to 
be a place of recreation. At nine o'clock each morn- 
ing and again at two each afternoon the scholars 
must be at the school door, and punctuality was 
greatly emphasized. Still more trying was the regu- 



208 THE BRICK CHURCH 

lation that scholars must "appear in school with 
their clothes clean and whole." The teacher was 
strongly admonished to see to this important matter. 

The first study that is mentioned in the rules — 
and it has a whole rule to itself — is the Shorter Cate- 
chism. All the scholars were "obliged" to commit 
to memory the whole or (merciful provision!) "such 
parts of it, as they may be found competent to"; 
and on Wednesday afternoon of each week, or at 
such other times as might be appointed, they must 
be at the church to recite what they had learned. 
This important study having been arranged for, an- 
other sino^le rule of much less length was enoufjh to 
cover all the remaining subjects in the curriculum — 
reading, writing, arithmetic, "and, if circumstances 
permit, the principles of English Grammar." 

What penalties and punishments the teacher may 
have been allowed to inflict upon disobedient or 
negligent scholars we are not told. The rules dis- 
creetly refrain from inquiring too curiously into that 
subject. But under certain extreme conditions the 
trustees themselves, we learn, would step in and 
cause a scholar to be expelled. If a child was absent 
without adequate excuse for six days in succession or 

for more than eighteen days in one quarter " 

or " (these long dashes, suggestive of a very 

ominous pause, are copied accurately from the official 
text of the rules), "if any scholar shall be guilty of 
misbehavior, and, being admonished by the commit- 
tee, shall continue such misconduct," the sentence of 
expulsion must be imposed. 

If a scholar did indeed thus misbehave, the 
record of his conduct was set down in that same 



THE SCHOOLS ^00 

book of the teacher's, already mentioned, and there 
it was carefully preserved for the eyes of the trustees. 
It was not necessary to send the record to them, for 
every week the school was visited by at least one of 
the board's school committee, and once a month the 
committee appeared in its entirety to "inspect" and 
"receive returns," especially as to the matter of 
conduct. Once in each quarter occurred the chief 
visitation, when the entire board of trustees of the 
Brick Presbyterian Church "in a formal manner" 
made their appearance to "inquire into the profi- 
ciency of the scholars and the attention of their 
teacher." 

If Saturday was a holiday, no mention is made of 
that fact. At least Sunday was not, for here is the 
description of it. All the children of the school must 
attend divine service, morning and afternoon, and 
they must occupy the seats provided for them. 
Moreover, "during the whole of the service, and in 
coming into and departing from the church" they 
must "demean themselves peaceably and quietly" 
and must "return from church direct to their places 
of residence." Finally, they must "remain at home 
during the day and evening" and remember that the 
Lord's Day is to be kept holy. 

Poor little charity scholars; their life, as outlined 
in the "rules," does not sound very cheerful; but 
after all, if Mr. Seabury Ely had any true love for 
children in his heart, perhaps their school-days were 
happy in spite of the committee; and in any case 
there was open the usual expedient of children, who 
turn even a stiff rule to some cheerful human use by 
regarding it as something to be broken. 



210 THE BRICK CHURCH 

In 181G took place another change even greater 
than the abandonment of the school-building, and still 
further indicative of the fact that the denominational 
schools were on the wane. The Presbyterians in that 
year ceased to hire their own teacher and sent their 
charity scholars to Free School No. 1, paying over to 
the commissioners of that school the portion of State 
funds received by the Brick Church, only stipulating 
that the Bible should be read in the school daily. 
The sole direct responsibility, therefore, which con- 
tinued to devolve upon the trustees was the clothing 
of their scholars, and for this purpose they still 
caused a collection to be taken annually, in Novem- 
ber or December, until the year 1829. Then a 
legacy from Mrs. Catherine Ryan, expressly for the 
use of the charity scholars, provided the trustees with 
all the money needed, and accordingly the collections 
ceased. At last in May, 183-1, we find recorded a 
vote that any balance at that time remaining in the 
Ryan legacy should be turned over to the Sunday- 
schools of the church, from which it is evident that 
the whole charity school system had come to an end. 

For the full explanation of this w^e must refer to a 
few facts outside of the history of the church. Ten 
years before this time there had begun a decided 
movement to remove the schools from religious in- 
fluence. The churches themselves had largely con- 
tributed to this result by their denominational rival- 
ries, as we perceive in an incident of the year 1824, 
when the suspicion that a certain church was trying 
to claim as scholars children belontjing: more natu- 
rally to other congregations, led the Free School 
Society and certain churches, including the Brick 



THE SCHOOLS ^11 

Church, to protest vigorously and demand a firm 
restriction of the offending church to the limits of its 
own parish. 

It was significant, too, that at this time, New York 
State, and a year later New York City, excluded the 
clergy and the churches from administering the 
school fund. The gradual relinquishment by the 
Brick Church of its charity school was, therefore, not 
peculiar to that church, but a result of the general 
situation. As reported by Dr. Spring in a speech 
some years later, the Brick Church was solicited to 
surrender its individual rights and denominational 
feelings for the sake of the general good, and 
promises, he said, were made, not in writing, but *'as 
a solemn matter of compromise and contract," that 
if the Brick Church withdrew from the field, the Pub- 
lic School Society should hold itself free from any 
other religious control or influence. From this time 
the Brick Church took no further part in the work of 
secular education. 

It will have been noticed above that when the 
Ryan Fund seemed about to lie idle through the dis- 
continuance of the charity school, the trustees were 
able to transfer it to a kindred institution. The fact 
was, that as the church's secular school waned to its 
extinction, two Sunday-schools, which the Brick 
Church people had founded, were flourishing more 
and more, and had gradually become a chief interest 
of the church. We must now turn to study their 
origin and growth. 

In New York at the beginnine: of the nineteenth 
century Sunday-schools were a decided novelty. 



212 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Even in England the idea was but twenty years old, 
having been originated by Robert Raikes in 1781 to 
meet the needs of the poor children of Gloucester. 
In Great Britain the movement spread with aston- 
ishing rapidity, and more slowly it made its way to 
America. In New York it is said that the first school 
was opened by a poor negro woman in 1793, but with 
more certainty the beginning there may be dated 
from the school of a Mrs. Graham and her daughter, 
Mrs. Bethune, who had seen the English schools in 
operation, and now started one in New York in a 
private house in 1801. By this time the teachers, 
who in the earlier schools elsewhere had been paid 
at the rate of a shilling a Sunday, were volunteers. 
It is noticeable, also, that from the beginning they 
had been women. 

Two more schools were started in the city by 
1804, and these also were the work of private indi- 
viduals. It was not until nine years later that a 
Sunday-school was started by one of the churches, 
the old Dutch Church on Garden Street. But the 
advantages of this plan were at once apparent, es- 
pecially in giving more permanence than private 
management could secure; and when in February, 
181G, the *'New York Sunday-school Union" * was 
organized, for the purpose of encouraging the estab- 
lishment of schools throughout the city, the church- 
school had practically won the field. 

Dr. Spring was among tliose who joined in the 
formation of this Union, and one of its early meet- 
ings was held in the Brick Church; but the best evi- 

♦ See "Semi-Centennial Memorial Discourse of the Sunday-school 
Union," by Isaac F. Ferris, D.D., 186G. 



THE SCHOOLS 213 

dence of the church's hearty interest in the move- 
ment was its establishment of two Sunday-schools of 
its own in the very first year of the Union's existence. 
These were "No. 3," * on Fair (now Fulton) Street, 
and "No. 23" on Henry Street. 

Why, it may be asked, was no school started in 
immediate connection with the church itself.? The 
"Old White Lecture Room" would have been avail- 
able for the purpose, and very convenient for a ma- 
jority of the children of the church. But it must be 
understood that these early Sunday-schools were not 
intended for the children of the church at all. These 
were trained by their own parents at home, the 
church undertaking merely to assure itself of the 
thoroughness of their home instruction, by bringing 
the children together for the recitation of the cate- 
chism on a week-day afternoon. The Sunday-schools, 
on the other hand, were distinctly missionary insti- 
tutions. They were intended for children belonging 
to the poor and ignorant classes, and were regarded 
merely as a substitute for the home teaching which 
was lacking in their case. 

Of the history of the first sixteen years of the 
Brick Church Sunday-schools we unfortunately know 
but little. The records prior to 1832 have been 
lost,t and the references in the session and trustees' 
minutes are few and fragmentary. We do not even 
know the number of schools maintained through- 
out this period — whether, for example, there were 

* No. 1 was the school of the Garden Street Dutch Church referred to 
above. No. 2 was started by the Wall Street Presbyterian Church. 

t A note written in 1837, states that these earlier records were then "in 
the possession of Miss Delia Stevens." She moved from New York about 
May, 1838. 



214 THE BRICK CHURCH 

ever more than two, or how long precisely the second 
of the original schools, "No. 23," was continued.* 
We know nothing of the manner in which the schools 
were governed, except that they had superintend- 
ents,! as at the present time, elected, apparently, 
by the teachers, and that the general rules of the 
Union provided for a board of management, and 
systematic visitation by a committee. Apparently 
the instruction was biblical, for there is reference to 
the committing of passages of Scripture to memory 
(reward tickets were given for proficiency in this, 
as well as for attendance and good behavior), and 
one at least of the Brick Church schools seems 
early to have tried with success a plan of "selected 
and limited lessons," first put forth in New York in 
1824. All the further details that we possess on this 
period are given in a report to the Union for 1827, J 
from which we learn that at that time School No. 3 

*The facts known to us are very perplexing. In 1817 and 1818 there 
are references in the trustees' minutes to "The Sabbath school [singular] 
connected with this church," yet, apparently, schools No. 3 and No. 23 
were both in existence long after that. From 1819 to 1825 "schools" are 
consistently referred to in the records. Then again in 1826 the singular 
number is used, and this falls in with the fact that the report of the Sunday- 
Bchool Union for the next year (which happens to be in existence) includes 
no mention of School No. 23. We should, therefore, be certain that this 
second Brick Church school had been discontinued by this time, were there 
not references in 1828, 1831 and May, 1832, to "schools" once more. 
Before October, 1832, some sort of a "union" had taken place in connec- 
tion with the schools of the Brick Church, and after December, 1833, there 
was certainly but one school for several years. In 1839 the girls' depart- 
ment of the school is referred to as "The Female Sabbath-school attached 
to the Brick Presbyterian Church." Possibly this suggests the explanation 
of the plural used between 1828 and 1832, and also of the "union," in the 
latter year. 

t See Appendix J, p. 527. 

t See "Semi-Centennial Memorial Discourse of the N. Y. Sunday-school 
Union," 1866, by Rev. Isaac F. Ferris, D.D., p. 14. 



THE SCHOOLS 215 

was for boys only, sixty-seven being enrolled; that 
there were twenty-one teachers, all men; that there 
was a library connected with the school including 
nearly four hundred volumes; and that the school 
was then situated at 208 William Street.* 

When, beginning with 1832, our information be- 
comes more detailed we find that a number of im- 
portant changes have taken place. For one thing, as 
soon as the new chapel was completed, in December 
of that year, the Sunday-school took possession of 
the rooms in that building which had been especially 
designed for its use, and this change of location, as 
might be supposed, was indicative of another change 
still more radical. The scholars were no longer 
drawn exclusively from the poor and unchurched 
families, but included the children of Presbyterian 
parents. We do not know when or how this change 
had taken place, but at the time now referred to it 
was an accomplished fact, as is evidenced by an 
appeal issued to the church-members in January, 
1834, in the hope that they would interest themselves 
either "to obtain new members or bring in such of 
their own children as they may have previously 
withheld." Another important change that had 
taken place was the admission of girls, and the in- 
troduction of women teachers, although "the male 
department" continued to be the larger portion of 
the school. f 

* From 1819 till 1826, it was the custom in appointing the annual 
offering for clothing the charity scholars, to direct that the surplus, if there 
were any, should be used to defray the expense of a room or rooms for 
Sunday-school uses. 

t In December, 1833, there were seventeen men and fourteen women 
enrolled as teachers. 



216 THE BRICK CHURCH 

In 1833 and 1834, it is evident from the records, 
the school was undergoing a thorough reorganiza- 
tion, and when this had been accompHshed a good 
deal of satisfaction was felt in the result. The secre- 
tary, having been requested to "furnish some brief 
statement of the present situation of the school to 
such of the church and congregation as would prob- 
ably feel willing to exert their influence in the cause," 
wrote "that the school is in a flourishing condition 
under the immediate supervision of Mr. Seward,* 
and is well supplied with faithful, devoted and effi- 
cient teachers," and "that there has been ample pro- 
vision made for an additional number of scholars." 
The organization of the school effected at this time 
remained practically unchanged until 1840, and the 
description about to be given may therefore be taken 
to apply to the whole period ending in that year. 

There were five officers elected annually by the 
teachers, namely, a superintendent, an assistant su- 
perintendent, a female superintendent, a librarian, 
and a secretary. The treasurer, on the other hand, 
was appointed by the session of the church. The 
teachers were apparently chosen with great care and 
entered upon their duties in a spirit of serious conse- 
cration. Before being appointed they were required 
to answer the following questions: "Are you so situ- 
ated in the providence of God that you can probably 
hereafter attend to the duties of a teacher with vigor 
and punctuality ? Can you attend ordinarily to a 
faithful examination and study of the weekly lesson ? 
When your scholars are absent, can you promptly 
visit them .'*" 

* Mr. B.J. Seward was agent of the Sunday-school Union. 



THE SCHOOLS 217 

A fuller description of the teachers' duties is con- 
tained in an appendix to the constitution * wherein 
is stated what the superintendent expects the teach- 
ers to do. They are to be in their seats at least five 
minutes before the hour of opening and "ready to 
greet their scholars as they appear," thus "appro- 
bating punctuality and reproving delinquency." At 
the ringing of the bell and throughout the devotional 
exercises they are to maintain in their classes "per- 
fect silence." They are to allow "no idleness in any 
class for a moment." At the close of the session they 
are always to "accompany their classes to the door 
of the church, maintaining order among the schol- 
ars." And finally, teachers who are necessarily ab- 
sent are expected to provide substitutes. 

Perhaps more important than rules and statements 
of duties was the spirit in which the work was under- 
taken, as expressed in the preamble of the constitu- 
tion just referred to. There "the teachers and con- 
ductors of Sunday-school No. 3" make it evident 
that in their opinion the work of teaching in the Sun- 
day-school was to be regarded as no merely routine 
exercise, no mere providing of a safe and suitable 
occupation for children on the Lord's Day, but as 
a genuine preparation of boys and girls for Christian 
life and especially for Christian service. It is very 
noteworthy that they mention with most emphasis 
the need of missionaries to heathen lands and of 
ministers at home, as their incentive to "unremitting 
labor." Their object, as they finally state it, is "to 
win souls to Jesus Christ, and to prepare them for 
usefulness in his kingdom." 

* Adopted on December 2l8t, 1833. See Appendix W, p. 545, 



218 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Until 1839 two sessions of the Sunday-school were 
held each Sunday, the first beginning at nine o'clock 
in the morning throughout the year, while the second 
began at half-past one in the afternoon from the first 
of October to the first of May, and at two o'clock 
from May to October. In June, 1839, it was decided 
to omit the afternoon session for three months, and 
later in the year it was voted to make this change 
permanent. 

The sessions began and closed with devotional 
exercises, the interval being filled by the teaching of 
the lesson. For the most part the subject of study 
was a passage from the Scriptures aided apparently 
by some sort of ''Question Book," but the fourth 
Sunday of each month w^as devoted to the teaching of 
the shorter catechism. At the close of the afternoon 
session it was customary for the superintendent to 
examine the scholars on the lesson for the day. 
Teachers' meetings for the preparation of the lesson 
were a regular institution. They were held on Sat- 
urday evenings "in the committee room of the 
chapel," * and were conducted by Dr. Spring. 

The library w^as evidently regarded as an important 
department of the work of the school, though it may 
be feared that the "select books" which were pur- 
chased from time to time were of the sort that has 
caused the name "Sunday-school book" to be re- 
garded as a title of opprobrium. Select though the 
books were, the children were not allowed to choose 
among them for themselves, but it was the duty of 
the teachers to "choose such books from the library 
as they may judge most proper for their scholars." 

♦ Referred to eometimes as "the missionary room." 



THE SCHOOLS 219 

Once a year, on a Sunday morning in April, the 
school celebrated its anniversary by exercises held in 
the church. We do not know the nature of the ser- 
vice except that the secretary read a report which, 
sometimes at least, included a sort of history of the 
school, that Dr. Spring preached a sermon appro- 
priate to the day, and that on that occasion it was 
customary "to have the female scholars and their 
teachers sit in the front seats of the gallery next 
the Park, and the male scholars and teachers op- 
posite." 

In the summer of 1837 a new light broke upon the 
Brick Church Sunday-school. Then for the first time 
it was suggested that a small amount of play be 
mingled with the school's discipline and study. One 
cannot but be impressed, in reading the accounts of 
the treatment of children in the time of our great- 
grandparents, with the almost utter ignorance of the 
men of that time in regard to the child-nature. 
Children were then commonly dealt with much as 
though they were merely old men and women dressed 
in bibs and pinafores. There was barely any attempt 
to appeal to distinctly childish tastes. There was very 
little consideration for the inevitable immaturities of 
childhood. Especially there was almost no appre- 
ciation of the fact that all teaching, and religious 
teaching quite as much as any, should be adjusted 
accurately to the children's intelligence and ex- 
perience. 

An illustration of this is provided by the use made 
in the Brick Church Sunday-school one Sunday in 
1850, of the tragic death of a scholar resulting from 
injuries received in an accident on Hague Street. 



220 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Dr. Spring, with reference to the melancholy event, 
*' addressed the children," we are told, "on the ne- 
cessity of being prepared for [Christ's] coming, and 
the danger of provoking God's wrath and curse in 
this life and that which is to come." Another inci- 
dent, which occurred a few months earlier, and 
which is curious enough to be quoted for its own 
sake, was no doubt made the text for a terrifying 
address upon the crime of theft. It seems that in 
May, 1849, the superintendent received from some 
unknown person a Bible in which, written in pencil 
on a slip of paper, was found the following pathetic 
message: "To the Superintendent of this School. 
Dear Sir, about three years ago, when the School was 
downstairs, this Bible was stolen with some others 
from the bookcase. Will you inquire for the owner 
in the school and ask him to forgive and pray for the 
thief." 

But to return to the proposal which in 1837, 
marked the beginning of a fuller appreciation of the 
needs of childhood. As it happened the plan then 
proposed could not be carried out at once, but it 
afterward bore fruit, and even the proposal of it 
must have made the life of the little scholars dis- 
tinctly more worth living. The full record of the 
incident may be quoted: "June 27th, 1837. By 
agreement the teachers met this evening to take into 
consideration the utility of celebrating the coming 
4th [of] July with the scholars. The committee re- 
ported verbally as follows: They have taken in con- 
sideration all the places in the neighborhood suit- 
able to visit, and found that they would probably be 
filled by many visitors and thus defeat the object in 



THE SCHOOLS 221 

view and also the lateness of notice prevents suit- 
able arrangements for the occasion. It was therefore 
concluded to postpone until another year. 

In 1840 a radical change in the whole management 
of the Sunday-school was made by the session ot the 
church who were dissatisfied with the conditions 
which then existed. Up to this time the school 
though closely identified with the church life had 
been in a large degree independent. It had ap- 
pointed its own officers,* made its own rules, deter- 
mined its own policy, without any reference to the 
session whatsoever. The only superior authority to 
which it looked was the New York Sunday-school 
Union, an outside and undenominational society. 

As early as 1836 the session had expressed some 
uneasiness in regard to the situation, and had ap- 
pointed a committee to consider "the measures to be 
pursued for the religious education of the children, 
and especially to provide for some direct intercourse 
between the children and the officers of the church. 
At that time, however, they did not undertake to 
interfere with the Sunday-school, but merely adopted 
additional means of ensuring the children s proper 
instruction. They were content to appoint an 
afternoon service in the session room once a month.f 
in which the children and youth of all the church and 
congregation may meet for instruction in the cate- 
chism." t The older members of the congregation 

* Except the treasurer. See above. 

I M *VaX* LtbSore the day of Su„day-,chools, such a .ervice 
had W hew wU. In 1835, the Ge-a. A.se„,bly had exp-ed ^^^^ 
regret that the Sunday-achoob seemed to have superseded very largely 
the catechetical instructions of the pastor. 



222 THE BRICK CHURCH 

were invited to participate, and the pastor and elders 
were to superintend the course of instruction. 

This expedient, however, after about three years* 
trial, proved to be inadequate, and on January 9th, 
1840, the session, "having taken into consideration 
the existing state of the Sabbath-schools * and the 
present plan of instruction," referred the whole sub- 
ject to a committee. The report which this com- 
mittee presented two weeks later is of such interest 
from several points of view that it must be quoted 
in its entirety. 

"The committee appointed to take into considera- 
tion the present system of instruction in the Sabbath- 
schools connected with this congregation, beg leave 
to submit the following suggestions and plan as their 
report : 

"It appears to your committee that the original 
design of these schools has been to a great extent 
lost sight of, in the almost exclusive instruction 
of the children of families belonging to our own 
congregation and the gradual withdrawing from 
them of the poorer and more ignorant population 
around us. 

"It may be assumed as a fact which will not be 
questioned that those who receive instruction in 
these schools are almost exclusively made up of our 
own congregation. f This circumstance throws no 
small weight of responsibility on this session to in- 
quire into the condition of the schools, both as it 
regards the system of instruction, the qualification of 

♦ The plural is frequently used at this period, though it is evident that 
but one school existed, including a boys' and a girls' department. 

t Three years later when 114 scholars were enrolled, all but fourteen 
were from Brick Church families. 



THE SCHOOLS 223 

the teachers, and the number and progress of those 
who are taught. 

"In the prosecution of these inquiries your com- 
mittee have been persuaded that there is a diminu- 
tion in the number * of young persons who receive 
rehgious instruction among this people which must 
awaken solicitude in the minds of all who feel the 
importance of bringing up the youth in the nurture 
and admonition of the Lord. 

"Your committee have no doubt that this is to be 
attributed in part to the widely scattered condition of 
the congregation and the great distance of many 
families from the place of instruction. But they are 
convinced that this is not the only evil. From a 
variety of circumstances neither necessary nor proper 
to be mentioned in this report, there has been un- 
happily so great a change of teachers in the school 
and, with few exceptions,t such instability in their 
attachment to this particular field of labor that more 
than once the whole system has been not a little em- 
barrassed by this single circumstance. 

"It will at once be seen that these frequent changes 
must originate incompetency in the teachers them- 
selves as well as a want of confidence in parents in 
the whole system of Sabbath-school instruction, and 
both these things are lamentably true. Nor is this 
the whole evil. While parents have relinquished the 
instruction of their children to the Sabbath-school, 
and while the Sabbath-school has in too great a de- 

''• Whereas there were thirty-one classes in 1833, there were but twenty- 
two at the end of 1839. 

t Among the notable exceptions were Abner L. Ely, Henry K. Bull, 
Albert Woodruff, Charles J. Steadman, John K. Starin, Henry Brewster, 
J. F. Donnell, and Miss Delia Stevens. 



224 THE BRICK CHURCH 

gree failed to supply the place of parents, it is to be 
feared that parents have not themselves resumed their 
former wonted care of the religious instruction of 
their offspring; so that while the Sabbath-school has 
taken this great work out of the hands of parents and 
out of the hands of the pastor and elders, the work 
itself remains to a great extent unfulfilled. 

"There are other evils also in the very constitution 
of the Sabbath-schools which in the judgment of 
your committee call for the kind but decisive inter- 
position of the session. 

"The system of instruction in the Sabbath-school, 
designed to meet the views of various denominations 
of Christians, necessarily omits very important truths, 
and truths with which the youthful mind ought to be 
familiar. It is feared that teachers from among us, 
with some honorable exceptions, have lost their 
interest in the established institutions of the Church, 
so that there are few ' to guide her among all the sons 
she hath brought up ' ; and there is that in the system 
which, while it is independent of the Church of God, 
is insensibly weakening her influence and govern- 
ment and relaxing those bonds by which the mem- 
bers of a church as individuals are bound and obliged 
to walk together in truth and love. 

"In view of these things your committee recom- 
mend the following plan and resolutions: 

"1. Resolved that the Sabbath-school connected 
with this congregation be placed under the immediate 
superintendence of the pastor and an assistant elder 
by whom all its teachers are to be appointed and all 
its lessons assigned. 

"2. Resolved that, with the exception of those 



THE SCHOOLS 225 

whose age, infirmities or distance may excuse them, 
all the elders of this church attend upon this service, 
each one having the superintendence of assigned por- 
tions of the school, for the special purpose of securing 
the attendance of its classes and, in connection with 
their teachers, visiting the families of which they are 
composed. 

"3. Resolved that it be the duty of all the members 
of the church — and their Christian fidelity is confi- 
dently relied on for this purpose — to take such parts 
in the instruction of the school as shall, upon a full 
view of their relations and condition, be assigned 
them by the session. 

"4. Resolved that the session look with confidence 
to parents and guardians connected with this congre- 
gation to send their children to the school attached 
to their own church, to teach them carefully the 
lessons at home, and to make it a business of 
more serious importance to furnish their minds 
with instruction in the doctrines and duties of re- 
ligion. 

"5. Resolved that the pastor of this congregation 
attend a weekly meeting on every Saturday evening 
with all the teachers, for the purpose of examining 
the lesson for the ensuing Lord's Day and that all 
the Sabbath-school teachers belonging to this con- 
gregation, in whatever schools they may teach, be 
invited to be present at this weekly exercise. 

*'6. Resolved that the monthly prayer-meeting 
established for Sabbath-schools be discontinued and 
henceforth united with the monthly prayer-meeting 
of this church, at which it shall be considered a lead- 
ing object to implore the divine blessing upon the 



226 THE BRICK CHURCH 

instructions of the Sabbath-school and the youth and 
children of this people." 

Unfortunately the school records close abruptly 
after announcing the succession of the pastor to the 
superintendency. Perhaps it was thought that since 
the session was in complete control, no separate rec- 
ords were longer necessary. At any rate, for the con- 
ditions that existed during the next six years we must 
seek elsewhere for our information. Enough, how- 
ever, is known to assure us at least that the change of 
policy was beneficial. One evidence of this is the 
fact that at some time prior to 1844 a branch or 
"mission" school* was started, an attempt to reach 
once more the poorer children for whom the schools 
were originally intended. We know also that the 
original Brick Church school (No. 3) was slowly in- 
creasing in numbers under the session management. 
In three years it achieved a gain of over twenty per 
cent. Further, the afternoon session was probably 
resumed at this time, for a little later we find it a 
regular feature of the school. 

Exactly how long the session of the church retained 
control we do not know, but probably it was until 
about 1846, for when the school records are resumed 
at that time the superintendent is found to be a 
layman once more, and the minutes give the impres- 
sion that some important readjustment has just taken 
place. A new constitution, for example, is prepared 
and adopted, which resembles in substance (though 
not in form) the old constitution of 1833. Probably 
llie session felt that its object had now been ac- 

* Mr. Woods was superintendent. This school is probably the No. 12 
referred to later in the records. 



THE SCHOOLS 227 

complished, and at this time gladly surrendered the 
burden of direct management which it had tem- 
porarily assumed. 

In any case the school continued to prosper. In 
1847 it maintained thirty-five classes, including an 
infant class and Bible classes, and had on its roll one 
hundred and seventy-five scholars, much the largest 
number recorded up to that time. The standard of 
its scholarship, also, seems to have been high, for when 
the children who had memorized the whole of the 
Shorter Catechism were from time to time rewarded 
(according to a custom introduced in this period) the 
lists were surprisingly long, while a still larger num- 
ber of boys and girls received Bibles, Bible diction- 
aries, Bible geographies, "Illustrated Skethes," or 
"small books" as rewards for punctual attendance 
and good behavior. On one occasion a scholar 
named Miss Catherine Halsey received a "gilt Bible," 
which must have betokened a mo^t extraordinary 
degree of goodness and punctuality. 

But perhaps the two most interesting developments 
were those which still remain to be described. One 
was the system of visitation, which w^as at this time 
devised and put into practice. Here once more we 
see the reawakening of the old sense of responsibility 
for the children of the ignorant poor, the children of 
the slums as we should say to-day; and this awak- 
ening was due, no doubt, to certain important changes 
in outward conditions. For the neighborhood of 
the Brick Church on Beekman Street was now be- 
coming more and mo.re a downtown region, full of 
the bustle of business, and used for residence by the 
poorer classes only. How to reach the many ne- 



228 THE BRICK CHURCH 

glected children who lived within hearing distance of 
the Brick Church bell became, therefore, a more and 
more urgent problem. The officers and teachers of 
the school gave themselves earnestly to the solving 
of it. The section of the city in the vicinity of the 
Brick Church * was by them subdivided into con- 
venient districts which were assigned to individual 
teachers for "thorough" visitation. Full reports 
were then presented at the teachers' meetings, of the 
whole number of children in the district, of those at- 
tending the Brick Church school or other schools, 
and of those who attended none. Special pains were 
taken "to ascertain the wants and supply the neces- 
sities of those applying for aid," and especially to 
provide proper clothing for poor children, whose 
parents desired them to attend the school. f A " char- 
ities committee" was at the same time appointed to 
solicit funds from the congregation and to relieve the 
cases of need reported by the visitors. 

Finally, and this will complete the subject of this 
chapter, we must notice that the Sunday-school, to- 
ward the close of the period we are studying, began 
to take a direct and practical interest in missions. 
We have seen already that the moving purpose of the 
workers had long been, in no small part, the pro- 
vision of such religious training as might in the 
future prepare their scholars for the work of the 

* The Sunday-school Union at that time apportioned a certain district 
to each church, much as the Federation of Churches proposes to do at the 
present day. 

t One entry states that arrangements are to be made for visiting " ma- 
lignant children," but probably the secretary did not intend to refer to the 
young reprobates of the community. " Indigent," the word used in several 
similar passages, was no doubt the adjective he meant to use here. 



THE SCHOOLS 229 

gospel at home and abroad. But now, in addition 
to this, the school began to make direct contributions 
to the work of missionaries already in the field. The 
initiative in this movement came originally from one 
of the school's own teachers. Miss Cowdrey, who 
when on a visit to Cincinnati, in 1836, was moved by 
the sight of "the destitute of the West," and wrote to 
her fellow-workers in the Brick Church Sunday- 
school, begging a donation of old question books, 
hymn books, etc. A prompt response was made,* 
and a precedent was set which had important con- 
sequences. Not until the late forties, however, was 
anything like a habit of missionary giving estab- 
lished. After that we read of comparatively frequent 
appeals for aid from Sunday-school missionaries 
in the West, asking still for books, but new books 
now, not old ones. "Raising a library" became 
accordingly a familiar undertaking among the Brick 
Church teachers. At last in 1850, at the very close 
of the period to which this chapter is devoted, 
occurred an incident which was dramatic in its effect 
and launched the school suddenly upon the high 
seas of benevolence. 

At the teachers' meeting on Sunday, February 
17th, a Mr. Chidlar made an address on "The 
Needs of the West." What anecdotes he may have 
told or what arguments he used we do not know, but 
at length, pausing in his appeal, he unfurled a worn 
and faded banner which had evidently seen long 
service in some Sunday-school. While his hearers 

* The secretary with singular accuracy records that 247 question books, 
35 new hymn books, bound in leather, and 31 of the same bound in paper, 
were sent by dray No. 1304 to Mrs. Cowdrey, in Albion Place, to be for- 
warded to her daughter. 



230 THE BRICK CHURCH 

were wondering what this meant, he told them that 
this banner was one that the Brick Church Sunday- 
school had itself sent out to Illinois eighteen years 
before. It had now come back from the faithful 
workers on the frontier, with the message that they 
had done with it all that they, unaided, could pos- 
sibly do, and that to send it westward again, unac- 
companied by the means for carrying out its glorious 
object, would be a kind of cruelty to those brave 
but exhausted workers in the West. It is needless to 
say that in a school which was, as we have seen, not 
unfamiliar with the cause of missions, such a direct 
appeal as this could not be disregarded. At once, 
there was proposed and adopted a resolution, which, 
brief as it is, still communicates to us something of 
the noble emotion which prompted it: "Resolved, 
that we will support a missionary to be our standard- 
bearer for the West, and will supply him with ten 
libraries to aid him in his labors." 

But this growth of practical benevolence in the 
Sunday-school * was, in reality, part of a much larger 
movement of the same kind in the church itself, and 
this is the subject of the next chapter, to which we 
niust now turn. 

♦ It should be remarked that up to this time no attempt seems to have 
been made to interest the scholars in these practical enterprises. When 
money was needed it was raised by the teachers from other members of 
the congregation. The Sunday-school was apparently supposed to consist 
of two parts, opposite in character — the scholars, who were expected to be 
for the most part entirely passive, and the teachers and officers, by whom 
the whole active work was to be done. 



CHAPTER XIV 

MISSIONS AND BENEVOLENCE: 1810-1850 

" In those great and benevolent enterprises, for which the age in which we live has 
been distinguished, it has been the privilege of the Brick Church to bear her part. 
Taking the forty-six years of my ministry together, no church in the land has given 
more bountifully to the cause of domestic and foreign missions." — Gardiner Spring, 
1856, "The Brick Church Memorial," p. 29. 

"As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, 
cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." 
—Matthew 10 : 7 /. 

WHEN Gardiner Spring came to the Brick 
Church, almost all the money received in 
the collections was used for the church 
expenses. The two established exceptions, it will be 
recalled, were the annual collection for the support 
of the charity school * and the provision that on 
communion Sundays and at the time of the annual 
charity sermon the collections should be devoted to 
the needs of the poor of the church. f We have also 
seen that occasional exceptions had begun to be 
made from time to time in response to special ap- 
peals, but as yet the instances of these were so few 
and scattered, that they must be regarded only as a 
prophecy of greater things to come. J 

Under Dr. Spring the collections for the poor § 
and, as long as was necessary, for the charity school 

* See page 90. t See page 85. t See page 87. 

^ This money was administered as formerly by the deacons, except that 
a email sum was put into the hands of the pastor for special cases. The 
funds appear to have been ample till about 1842, from which date there 
was frequently a small deficit, easily made up. 

231 



232 THE BRICK CHURCH 

continued as before; but the growth of occasional 
benevolences was for a time checked, apparently by 
a combination of two causes. First, the period of 
business depression before and during the War of 
1812 made it necessary to observe great economy in 
the management of the church's finances. And, 
second, a custom had by this time been adopted of 
taking up a special annual collection which should 
be in part devoted to missions.* This was usually 
set for a Sunday in April, and at first (in 1810), the 
sum received was divided into three equal parts, one- 
third being "for the use of the Presbytery," one-third 
"for missionaries," and the rest "for the use of the 
Commissioners of the General Assembly." Five 
years later a different apportionment was made. 
Two-thirds were now to be given to "The Education 
Fund," and the remaining third to be "divided be- 
tween the Commissioners and Missionary Funds." 
This regularizing of the church's benevolence, though 
it was but a small beginning, was a distinct advance 
upon the irregular and indiscriminate offerings of the 
earlier period. Moreover, the change in the appor- 
tionment which has just been mentioned, omitting 
altogether, as it does, the contribution to the purely 
ecclesiastical expenses of Presbytery,t and empha- 

* The General Assembly as early as 1791, had resolved "that the Pres- 
byteries composing the Synod of New York and New Jersey and that of 
Philadelphia, use their best endeavors to forward, yearly to the General 
Treasurer a collection [for missions] from each of their churches." The 
only evidence that this was carried out in the Presbyterian Church of New 
York City is the record of three offerings, in whole or part for the purpose 
of sending missionaries to the frontier, in 1791, 1792, and 1796. (See 
above, p. 87.) The next allusion to a stated yearly collection is the one 
referred to in the text (1810). 

t Of course the church by some other means than a collection must 
have continued to bear its share in these expenses. 



MISSIONS AND BENEVOLENCE 233 

sizing missionary and benevolent objects, indicates 
a most wholesome tendency. 

This one stated annual collection seems to have 
provided a sufficient outlet for the church's missionary 
benevolence for about eight years, but in October, 
1818, the trustees passed a resolution which, simple 
as it appears to be, marks the beginning of a new ad- 
vance. It was the granting, to the directors of the 
African School, of the use of the Brick Church for 
their anniversary sermon, and of permission to take 
up a collection at that time for the institution which 
they represented. It is plain from this action and 
from other instances of the same sort which followed 
in the succeeding years that the church's sense of mis- 
sionary responsibility had again begun to outgrow 
the means provided for its exercise. 

Moreover, from without the pressure at this time 
had greatly increased. To this the General Assembly 
had called attention in a notable communication in 
the year 1817. It had then declared: "The gradual 
increase of gospel light; the extension of the bless- 
ings of education to all classes and ages ; the growing 
diffusion of missionary zeal and exertions; the rapid 
multiplication of Bible societies, and through their 
instrumentality, the wonderful spread of the knowl- 
edge of the word of life in languages and countries 
hitherto strangers to the sacred volume ; the numerous 
associations for evangelical, benevolent, and humane 
purposes, which have arisen, and are daily arising, in 
every part of our bounds; and, above all, the convert- 
ing and sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit, 
which have been poured out for some time past, and 
especially during the last year, in many of the con- 



234 THE BRICK CHURCH 

gregations belonging to our communion — form an 
assemblage which cannot fail to be in a high degree 
interesting and animating to the friends of pure and 
undefiled religion; an assemblage which, while it 
gratifies for the present the pious and benevolent 
heart, must excite the most precious hopes for the 
future. Such mighty plans of benevolence, such won- 
derful combinations, such a general movement to 
mankind, in promoting the great cause of human 
happiness, were surely never before witnessed. 

"At such a period, dear brethren," this utterance 
of the Assembly continues, "let it be impressed upon 
the mind of every member of our church, that we are 
called to humble, diligent, persevering exertion. 
Much has been done, but much more remains to be 
done; and much, we hope, will be done by us. Every 
day makes a demand upon the time, the affections, the 
prayers, the property, the influence of the people of 
God, which it would be ingratitude, cruelty, nay, 
treachery, to repel." * To the great appeal which 
the times were thus making the Brick Church re- 
sponded, slowly for a while, but more and more as 
the years passed. From 1821, there is in the church 
records constant allusion to the granting of the use of 
the church, f and of collections, sometimes at special 
services on week-days, but more commonly at one of 
the regular Sunday services. The number and vari- 
ety of the causes to which the Brick Church thus 
rendered material aid is really astonishing. Widows, 
orphans, and other poor persons, both young and old, 

* "Assembly Digest," p. 313. 

t A nominal charge of two dollars was charged in most cases as a fee 
for the sexton. 



MISSIONS AND BENEVOLENCE 235 

students, sailors, negroes, churches in America, in 
Europe and in Asia, Sunday-schools, hospitals, and 
more kinds of missionary enterprise than one would 
suppose possible, were among the debtors to the hos- 
pitality and liberality of the Brick Church.* The 
collections given to these causes (thus diverting 
money, be it remembered, that would otherwise have 
gone into the church's own treasury), amounted fre- 
quently to more than $100 each, and the sum total 
must have attained to a very generous figure. 

It will readily be imagined that as appeals for these 
special collections increased in frequency, the oflScers 

* The following is a list of societies, etc., aided from 1818 to 1838, in 
the ways described in the text: The African School; Society for the Relief 
of Poor Widows with Small Children; Institution in Amherst for the 
Classical Education of Poor and Pious Youths; N. Y. Evangelical Mis- 
sionary Society; *N. Y. Sunday-school Union Society; *N. Y. Religious 
Tract Society; Auburn Theological Institution; United Foreign Mis- 
sionary Society; * Church in West Farms; * United Domestic Missionary 
Society; * Society for Promoting the Gospel among Seamen; Church in 
Scipio; Orphan Asylum Institution; Presbyterian Education Society; 
Female Sunday-school Union Society; Church in St. Augustine; * Mari- 
ners' Church; * Marine Bible Society; Young Men's Auxiliary Education 
Society; Palestine Mission Association; widow and children of late James 
C. Crane, the Missionary; * American Colonization Society; * Bethel Union 
(for Seamen); Greek Committee; Colored Church lately under pastoral 
charge of Mr. Cornish; * Port Society of New York; *African Presbyterian 
Church of N. Y.; N. Y. City Bible Society; Infant Schools Nos. 1 and 3; 
Female Lying-in Asylum; Sunday-school No. 42 on Orange Street; Society 
for Relief of Respectable, Aged, Indigent Females; * Board of Education; 
* General Assembly's Board of Missions; Commissioners' Fund; Five 
Points Sunday-schools; Matron Association; * Young Men's Missionary 
Society; Seaman's Friend Society; American Board of Commissioners of 
Foreign Missions; *N. Y. Young Men's Bible Society; American Sunday- 
school Union; *N. Y. Colonization Society; Church in St. Petersburg, 
Russia; Church in Brussels, Belgium; N. Y. Academy of Sacred Music; 
*Poor of the City. The names are given in the form in which they appear 
in the church records. Those marked with asterisks received aid from the 
church two or more times. The N. Y. Sunday-school Union, for instance, 
was granted five collections in the twenty years. 



236 THE BRICK CHURCH 

of the church would again grow dissatisfied with such 
a haphazard and unorganized method of distributing 
the benevolences. In giving full opportunity to the 
growing spirit of liberality, the absence of a hard 
and fast scheme had, for a while, been advantageous, 
but the time was bound to come when it would be 
desirable to control, in a more systematic way, the 
habit of generous giving which had now been well 
established. There was, moreover, another objection 
which made a change expedient. The admission to 
the Brick Church pulpit of the agents, who came to 
plead the cause of the various institutions, interfered 
seriously with the regular ministrations of the pastor, 
without supplying an altogether satisfactory equiv- 
alent. 

Accordingly, early in 1838, when the subject of 
organizing the church's benevolences was seriously 
brought forward in the session, the first step taken 
was to exclude agents altogether, and to provide that 
"hereafter all appeals on behalf of the religious chari- 
ties be made by the pastor and, whenever necessary, 
be followed up by the session and members of the 
church." * This, however, was but a preliminary step. 
A month later a plan was presented and adopted by 
which, it was hoped, the current evils would be 

* In this matter the Brick Church was evidently helping to form the 
opinion of the Church at large. In the next year the General Assembly 
passed the following resolution: "That while the necessity for agents is at 
present felt and recognized by the Assembly, in order ultimately to remove 
this necessity, and thus to reduce the expenditures of the Board, the indi- 
vidual agency and cooperation of every minister and church session, in 
forwarding the interests of this Board, would, in the opinion of the Assem- 
bly, if faithfully employed, with least expense and the greatest certainty 
advance the cause and multiply the resources of the Board." "Assembly 
Digest," p. 315. 



MISSIONS AND BENEVOLENCE 237 

remedied, and a more adequate use made of the 
church's present opportunity. What they really pro- 
posed to do was to expand the old idea of the three- 
cause offering taken in April, into a much broader 
and more inclusive scheme adapted to the later con- 
ditions. To this end it was resolved that, with the 
concurrence of the trustees, five specified causes should 
''receive the stated and annual patronage of the congre- 
gation." In January of each year the Presbyterian 
Board of Education was to receive its collection, in 
April the American Board of Commissioners for For- 
eign Missions, in June the American Tract Society, 
in^'October the Sunday-school Union, and in Novem- 
ber the Presbyterian Board of Domestic Missions. 
Nor was this all. Almost equally significant was the 
appointment of five special committees, of two elders 
each, to watch over the interests of these five causes. 
Thus two important results were sought to be 
accomplished; first, it was insured that henceforth 
the chief appeal to the church's liberaHty should 
be made by causes of paramount importance, and 
second, the people were to be trained by pastor 
and elders to feel that these causes were worthy of 
their regular and generous support. There was, 
it is true, a special provision that collections should 
from time to time be taken for " such other occasional 
charities as the urgency of the case may require," but 
at the same time, there was an evident intention that 
these occasional appeals should become much less 
frequent than heretofore. The money formerly avail- 
able for them was now to be appropriated by those 
five objects selected by the session as the ones which 
the Brick Church ought most strongly and constantly 



238 THE BRICK CHURCH 

to aid. As a matter of fact, the special offerings be- 
came, after this, noticeably rare, and two years later 
a regulation that outside organizations should usu- 
ally be charged $25 for the use of the church, tended 
still further to diminish their number. 

Reviewing briefly the thirty years of development 
which reached a culmination at this time, we observe 
that the advance had been by a sort of pendulum 
movement. In 1810 an enlarged capacity to give to 
missions, etc., evidenced by a growing readiness to 
respond to occasional appeals, was met by the estab- 
lishment of a regular annual offering mostly devoted 
to benevolent objects. At once the irregular benevo- 
lences ceased. Eight years later, although the annual 
collection still continued, the occasional offerings 
once more made their appearance and rapidly multi- 
plied, showing again that there was a surplus for be- 
nevolence, over and above the sum which the existing 
scheme demanded. Whereupon steps were again 
taken to adapt the scheme to the advance. The one 
annual offering, mostly devoted to benevolent objects, 
was replaced by five annual offerings, entirely devoted 
to benevolent objects. Once more the custom of 
occasional collections ceased at once, from which it 
might be inferred that the change had accomplished 
its purpose. 

The chief test of success, however, must, of course, 
be sought not merely in the orderly working of the 
scheme, but chiefly in the amount of money produced 
by it for benevolent purposes. From this point of 
view, also, the result was eminently satisfactory. In 
1838, although the month for the offering for the 
Board of Education had already passed before the plan 



MISSIONS AND BENEVOLENCE 239 

was adopted, no less than $3,516.96 was received in 
the four remaining collections. Indeed, in this the 
congregation had apparently outrun its real ability. 
It was a case of the new broom performing a service 
which, as it grew old, it could not maintain. The 
next year all five offerings amounted to but little 
more than $2,700. Even this, however, was not un- 
satisfactory, and the average annual total for the 
years from 1838 to 1850 was certainly excellent, 
namely, $3,330. Each year in this period, except the 
last, the cause of foreign missions took the lead, 
receiving always more than $1,000. Domestic mis- 
sions came next ; and the other three were about equal 
claimants for third place. Miscellaneous offerings 
were exceedingly variable; sometimes there were 
none reported, and sometimes they amounted to sev- 
eral hundred dollars. 

This chapter would be incomplete without some 
account of the part played, directly and indirectly, by 
the Brick Church in some of the important religious 
organizations through which its benevolences were 
distributed. It will have been evident already that 
the forty years which we have been studying were 
marked by an extraordinary development of such 
organizations. When Gardiner Spring was installed 
one could almost have counted upon the fingers of 
one's hands the important societies then carrying on 
benevolent work, and as for societies whose work was 
distinctly Christian, Christian in definite purpose as 
well as in general spirit, there were almost none. But 
in 1850, as we have seen, the question for the Brick 
Church was not so much. How shall we put our 



240 THE BRICK CHURCH 

money at work ? but, How shall we prevent it from 
being dissipated among a hundred different channels 
of Christian usefulness ? In the marked change of 
condition which had thus taken place, the Brick 
Church and its pastor had played an active part. 

The American Bible Society, for example, had Dr. 
Spring for one of its founders. It was, he tells us, his 
privilege, as delegate from the New York Bible So- 
ciety, to sit in the convention in New York in 1816, 
when the national society was organized. He was 
afterward one of its directors, served on one of its 
standing committees, and contributed not a little to 
its progress and efficiency. 

In a still more interesting manner was the Brick 
Church connected with the origin of work for seamen 
in America. In the summer of 1816 — and, by the 
way, it will have been noticed that this was a very 
eventful year in the history of the Christian activities 
of New York — some of the members of the Brick 
Church held meetings in the lower part of the city 
with the general purpose of reaching, if possible, the 
neglected and churchless people of that section. It 
was noticed that certain of these meetings, held in 
Water Street, were attended by numbers of seamen, 
w^hich suixaested the holdino; of meetings for sailors 
only, an entirely new idea in America at that time. 
The first meeting of this sort was held in a house at 
the corner of Front Street and Old Slip, and out of it 
grew, in time, the Mariner's Church in New York, 
similar organizations in many other Atlantic ports, 
and finally the American Seaman's Friend Society. 

On one occasion an unsuccessful attempt on the 
part of Dr. Spring to organize a movement was, nev- 



MISSIONS AND BENEVOLENCE 241 

ertheless, so excellent an illustration of his relation to 
the larger interests of practical Christianity, that a de- 
scription of it may be here included, especially as he 
himself speaks of it at some length in his own auto- 
biography. The object which he had in view was 
Sabbath reform. In 1827, the year in which he made 
his attempt, conditions in respect to Sunday observ- 
ance had materially changed from those which 
had formerly existed. "When I first came to New 
York," wrote Dr. Spring, "Sabbath desecration was 
by no means so flagrant as it became at a later 
period. Carriages and carts were not allowed to run 
wild by our churches; an iron chain was stretched 
across Nassau and Beekman streets in order to pro- 
tect the church, at whose altars I served, in the quiet 
enjoyment of its religious services. . . . The leading 
minds of our fellow-citizens strongly favored a decent 
observance of the Lord's Day." * 

But as the years passed "the men and the times 
changed." In 1827, Dr. Spring preached a series of 
five sermons on "The Obligations of the Sabbath," 
the last of which, on "The Sabbath, a Blessing to 
Mankind," f made so decided an impression upon 
Mr. Stephen Allen, then mayor of the city, that he 
wrote to Dr. Spring, asking him to publish it, and 
afterward consented to give his hearty cooperation in 
some general effort for Sabbath reform. He "en- 
gaged to preside at a public meeting of the citizens in 
the City Hall, summoned through the public press, 
for the consideration of this important subject." 

* "Life and Times," Vol. II, pp. 141 /. 

t This was printed, not only in English, but in Italian and Modern 
Greek. 



24^ THE BRICK CHURCH 

"I was warmly zealous in the cause," says Dr. 
Spring. "The meeting was called. Able speakers, 
both clergymen and laymen, saw the importance of 
the discussion, and the city was in a glow of excite- 
ment. But long before the appointed time the place 
of meeting was preoccupied by those who had taken 
the alarm at this supposed, and clerical, invasion of 
their civil rights. ... It was not without difficulty 
that we got into the Hall; our friends earnestly 
entreated me not to attempt it. Those on whom 
we relied to advocate our cause, one after another, 
deserted us, and the Rev. Alexander McLeland and 
myself were left alone, of the ministers of the gospel, 
to face the storm. We forced our way through the 
crowd, and found ourselves in the midst of an indigr- 
nant assemblage, passing resolutions requesting the 
ministers to mind their own business. We were 
marked men. The excited multitude looked dagsrers 
at us. They would not listen to us. Our persons 
were in danger, and we left the Hall without the op- 
portunity even of bearing our testimony for God and 
the Sabbath. There was more zeal than wisdom in 
that movement. It was a failure." * 

But to return to the successes. The relations of 
Dr. Spring and the church to the creation and devel- 
opment of the New York Sunday-school Union has 
already been alluded to. A still closer connection ex- 
isted between them and certain societies which repre- 
sented the cause of home missions. The New York 
Missionary Society, a very old organization, f whose 
work was done in "the Indian territory in the remote 

* "Life and Times," Vol. II, pp. 142 f. 
t See above, page 2^2. 



MISSIONS AND BENEVOLENCE 243 

West," was aided after 1809, by an auxiliary, known 
as The Young Men's Missionary Society of New 
York. This society was composed of young men 
from all the evangelical churches in the city and, "by 
the enthusiastic spirit which animated it, gave a pow- 
erful impulse to the good cause, and promised to be 
one of the important agencies in the missionary work." 
Most unfortunately, however, the society after a few 
years, was greatly hindered by internal differences 
and jealousies. This state of things reached a climax 
in 1817, at which time Dr. Spring was a member of 
the board of directors. In November of that year a 
Mr. Cox was nominated as a suitable missionary to 
be sent by the society, but after a prolonged series of 
meetings, held, as it happened, in the session room of 
the Brick Church, he was rejected by a majority of 
the members, for the reason that he represented a 
somewhat less extreme form of Calvinism than did 
these opposers themselves. The minority, which in- 
cluded Dr. Spring, held that the objections were con- 
ceived in a spirit of bigotry and represented an at- 
tempt to achieve by main force such a theological 
narrowing of a supposedly undenominational society 
as would virtually exclude many of the members 
themselves. The result was that the minority with- 
drew and formed a new organization, known as the 
New York Evangelical Missionary Society of Young 
Men, declaring it their belief that the great needs of 
the time called upon true Christians, even if differing 
"in important articles of faith," to unite as laborers 
for the harvest, This new society at once achieved 
a striking success, enrolling more than four hundred 
members in a few weeks. In its beginning Dr. 



244 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Spring was a moving spirit, and his connection with 
it was afterward still closer. "It was my privilege as 
the secretary," he says, "to correspond with the mis- 
sionaries, and to address the communities to which 
they were sent ; and much as it added to my labors, 
it is with thankfulness that I look back to the part I 
was called to perform in originating and sustaining 
this society. It was an honor to be a fellow-worker 
with them. . . . They gathered around me, encour- 
aged, and strengthened me, and gave a hallowed 
influence to the church of which I was pastor and so 
many of them were members." 

The second home missionary organization in which 
Dr. Spring and his church were directly interested 
was one of larger scope. Up to 1826, the missionary 
work in the United States had been carried on by a 
number of State or city societies, but the need of a 
national institution had for some time been felt, and 
at length, in the year mentioned, a committee of the 
home missionary workers in New York City "ad- 
dressed a circular to a large number of churches, in- 
viting them to convene at the session room of the 
Brick Presbyterian Church in the city of New York, 
for the purpose of forming an American Home ]\Iis- 
sionary Society. . . . The response to this invitation 
was a large assemblage in convention, of one hundred 
and twenty-six ministers and laymen from thirteen 
States and Territories of the Union, men of high char- 
acter in Church and State and from four different 
Christian denominations," * the Dutch, Scotch, Con- 
gregational and Presbyterian Churches. The plan was 
successfully carried out, and three Brick Church rep- 

* " Life and Times." Vol. I, p. 265. 



MISSIONS AND BENEVOLENCE 245 

resentatives were among the first officers of the new 
society, Dr. Spring as one of the directors, Peter 
Hawes as treasurer, and Stephen Lockwood as re- 
cording secretary. . 

If in the founding of the first great American for- 
ei™' missionary society, the Brick Church did not 
pfay an equally prominent part, this was because the 
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign M,s- 
sions had already been organized while Gardiner 
Spring was studying theology at Andover. He was 
present, however, as a spectator, at the meeting in 
Bradford, Mass., in 1810, where that famous Board 
was first projected, and heard his fellow-students from 
the seminary, Mott, Mills, Newall, and J"dson, pre- 
sent that" respectful and earnest memorial which led 
directly to this result. Associated as he was with 
these men, he could hardly fail to feel a deep interest 
in the subject of foreign missions. Moreover, his own 
father. Dr. Samuel Spring was, as has been abeady 
stated in an earlier chapter, one of those who joined 
in the creation of the American Board. Dr. Gardiner 
Spring narrates one interesting incident which oc- 
curred in his father's church, on the Sunday imme- 
diately following the Bradford meeting On his 
return to Newburyport," he says, "my father on the 
Sabbath morning, gave a brief narrative of the de- 
votement of the young men, . . . and also_ gave 
notice that he would preach on the subject m the 
afternoon, and that after the sermon a collection 
would be taken up for missions to the heathen, in 
the days of my youth." Dr. Spring continues, the 
town of Newburyport was an ^et've, commercial vil- 
lage of great enterprise and wealth. My father s con- 



246 THE BRICK CHURCH 

gregation had a large share of the wealth of the place, 
and a large share of its mercantile marine, composed 
of sea-captains and native mariners. At the close of 
the [afternoon] service, one of the old and rich sea- 
captains remarked, as he came out from the church, 
' the Doctor has given us a grand sermon, and he has 
preached all the jack-knives out of the sailors' pock- 
ets.' On returning to my father's house and laying 
out the collection on the parlor table, there was gold, 
silver and copper, and not a few jack-knives. The 
sailors had little else to give. ... I know not now 
the amount of the collection, and only know that 
such men as William Bartlett, Moses Brown [and 
others] contributed something besides jack-knives. 
And this, the first collection in the United States for 
foreign missions, was taken up in the North Church 
in Newburyport, where, by my father's hands, I was 
baptized." * 

Interest in the American Board may thus be said 
to have been a part of Dr. Spring's inheritance, and 
it continued and increased after he became pastor of 
the Brick Church. In 1820 he published a life of 
Samuel J. Mills, one of the participants in the his- 
toric "Haystack Prayer Meeting'' f in Williamstown, 
from which the whole foreign missionary movement 

* "Life and Times," Vol. I, pp. 279 /. 

t It is interesting that, according to Dr. Spring's own statement, he 
was the first to make known the story of this meeting, in the book referred 
to in the text. For this reason it may be worth while to give his descripn 
tion of it in full. "He [Mills] led them out [two or three of his more inti- 
mate fellow-students] into a meadow, at a distance from the college, to a 
retirement probably familiar to himself, though little exposed to observa- 
tion or liable to be approached, where, by the side of a large stack of hay, 
he devoted the day to prayer and fasting, and familiar conversation on this 
new and interesting theme [of foreign missions]; when, much to his sur- 



MISSIONS AND BENEVOLENCE 247 

in America started, and one of those who presented 
themselves for service at the Bradford meeting. In 
1824, Dr. Spring was chosen one of the corporate 
members of the American Board, and he and his 
church were its faithful friends and supporters 
through a long series of years. 

It has been already stated that, in accordance with 
the organized system of benevolences inaugurated in 
the Brick Church in 1838, the American Board was 
the organization appointed to receive the church's 
foreign missionary offering. This is especially inter- 
esting because the Presbyterian Church had formed 
a Board of Foreign Missions of its own in the pre- 
ceding year, whereas the American Board was at that 
time interdenominational. 

It is natural for us to wish that in both their home 
and foreign missionary work the Christian churches 
of America might have continued to work together, 
instead of starting independent and, in some cases, 
rival organizations. But apparently the times were 
not propitious. Men of differing views within the 
national organizations seemed more and more in- 
clined to come into open conflict, and if this could 
not be avoided in any other way. It was better, as 
even those who were themselves most liberal agreed, 

prise and gratification, he found that the Spirit of God had been enkin- 
dhng in their bosoms the flame which had been so long burning in his own. 
The reader will not be surprised to learn that, from this hour, this en- 
deared retreat was often made solemn by the presence, and hallowed by the 
piety, of these dear young men. . . . The operations and existence of this 
Society were unknown to the rest of the college, and have remained con- 
cealed by a veil which has never been removed till now. Though some of this 
little company yet remain on earth, I am forbidden by very sacred ties to 
lisp any other than the name of Samuel J. Mills." "Life of Samuel J. 
Mills," by Gardiner Spring (N. Y., 1820), pp. 29 /. 



248 THE BRICK CHURCH 

to create separate societies, which might provide con- 
genial opportunity for all sorts of Christians without 
danger of internal contention.* i\.ccordingly the dif- 
ferent denominations proceeded to create mission 
boards of their own. 

WTien a distinctively Presbyterian Board had been 
thus formed, it was natural, indeed almost inevitable, 
that Presbyterian churches should sooner or later 
rally to the support of their own organization. In 
home missions this had happened comparatively 
early. In the Brick Church's benevolent system of 
1838 the American Home Missionary Society, which 
the church had itself helped to found ten years 
before, had no place. Instead, the allegiance of the 
church was pledged to the Board of Domestic Mis- 
sions of the Presbyterian General Assembly. 

The church and its pastor had been criticised in 
some quarters for this change of front, especially as 
they had always been forward to urge a liberal and 



* The following extract from an act of the Presbyterian General As- 
sembly in 1840 throws further light upon this subject. "The relation in 
which we stand to other denominations furnishes another reason why we 
should consolidate our strength and foster our own institutions. It is 
obviously for the interest of the evangelical churches in our country that 
they should preserve a mutually good understanding with each other. 
Perhaps the best way to secure this is for each to act in its own appropriate 
sphere, the different denominations uniting together only in those plans 
and organizations which require no sacrifice of their distinctive principles. 
Our sister churches are, it is well known, actively engaged in fortifying 
their respective positions and extending their boundaries. We are so far 
from complaining of this, that we commend them for their fidelity to their 
principles; and in so far as they are propagating the truth, we bid them 
Godspeed. But we urge their activity as a motive why we also should be 
up and doing. If it becomes them to be active, it becomes us much more. 
For they are imbued with a denominational feeling of long standing and 
mighty energy; among us this feeling is in its infancy." "Assembly 
Digest," p. 313. 



MISSIONS AND BENEVOLENCE 249 

comprehensive attitude toward all the large interests 
of Christianity. There is little doubt, however, that 
their action was made necessary by the conditions 
then existing. In 1837, the American Home Mission- 
ary Society had come under the control of men who 
represented that New Haven Theology which influ- 
enced the New School Presbyterians, and led, first to 
the Exscinding Acts, and then to the New School 
secession. One of the acts of the General Assembly, 
in the course of this unhappy development, was to 
declare its belief that the American Home Missionary 
Society had been conducted by such methods as 
were "exceedingly injurious to the peace and purity 
of the Presbyterian Church," and in particular, that 
some of its managers designed, if possible, to " break 
down" the Presbyterian Board, and to "introduce 
and propagate opinions at war with the standards" 
of Presbyterianism. It was, therefore, recommended 
that the Society should cease to operate in Presby- 
terian churches.* We can hardly be surprised that 
under such circumstances the Brick Church, which, 
however tolerant toward others, was itself firmly con- 
vinced of the truth of the Old School views, should feel 
compelled to transfer its allegiance to the Presby- 
terian Board of Domestic Missions. 

In relation to foreign missions the change from 
national to denominational allegiance was deferred 
for some years longer, and was less abruptly made. 
From 1839 small sums, from five to fifteen per cent, 
of the whole foreign missionary offering of the Brick 
Church, were given to the Presbyterian Board, prob- 
ably by the expressed desire of the givers. In 1842, 

♦ "Assembly Digest," pp. 754, 757. 



250 THE BRICK CHURCH 

the Presbytery having urged the churches to do as 
much as they felt they could to strengthen their own 
organization, the Brick Church session declined to 
do more than regularize the special designation of 
offerings for that purpose. Undesignated offerings 
were still to go to the American Board. But in the 
next year, pressure no doubt continuing, it was 
ordered that the undesignated money for foreign 
missions be equally divided between the two socie- 
ties. Not until several years later did the American 
Board cease altogether to be one of the stated bene- 
ficiaries of the Brick Church. 

As we look back over the forty years whose history 
has now been completed, it is hardly necessary to call 
attention to the great changes in benevolence, and, 
indeed, in every department of the church life, that 
these years had witnessed. At the beginning the 
church was comparatively weak, unformed in meth- 
od, confined to a rather narrow programme of Chris- 
tian work. From this it had grown to be a strong, 
efficient, and highly influential organization, active in 
every important movement, sharing liberally in the 
growing work of the Church at large, and itself not- 
able for the type of Christian character and conduct 
which it had succeeded in creating in its members. 

Perhaps it was well that such a church was not 
permitted to rest on its laurels. At about the time 
which we have now reached it was called upon to 
face a new and serious difficulty, which threatened al- 
most to cause its overthrow. What this was, and 
how it was met and conquered, the next chapter will 
show. 



CHAPTER XV 

THE LAST YEARS ON BEEKMAN STREET: 

1850-1856 

" Had any one told me twenty years ago that I should live to see (this church] 
abandoned as a place of religious worship, I should have thought him a romancer, 
if not a madman; yet the hour of abandonment has come." — Gardiner Sprino, 
1856, "The Brick Church Memorial," p. 35. 

"Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine 
honor dwelleth." — Psalm 26 : 8. 

SEVERAL allusions have already been made to 
the great changes that had taken place in the 
neighborhood of the Brick Church. The truth 
was that during the eighty-odd years from the build- 
ing of the church to the middle of the nineteenth 
century, the relation of the site on Beekman Street 
to the rest of New York had been completely reversed. 
In 1768 the church was at the extreme north end of 
the city; almost all the residence quarter lay south- 
ward toward the Battery. In 1850, on the other hand, 
so greatly had New York grown, that the church 
found itself practically at the extreme south end of 
the city ; the homes of the people lay almost all to the 
north of it. The change from residence to business 
was not yet complete, for hotels and boarding-houses 
were still to be found in that vicinity in considerable 
numbers, but the private houses had moved away 
northward and they had taken the congregation of 
the Brick Church with them. 

251 



252 THE BRICK CHURCH 

The difficulties produced by this state of things 
will readily be perceived. In order to carry on the 
work and worship of a church, it is necessary that the 
members should come together at frequent intervals 
in the church building, and it is desirable that they 
should be known to one another, so that they may 
work together in a friendly and cordial spirit; but 
when they have moved to a distance from the church, 
and, not improbably, at the same time have moved in 
different directions, these desired conditions are very 
difficult of attainment. 

It will surprise most people to learn that the Brick 
Church had at least begun to experience this sup- 
posedly modern difficulty more than twenty years be- 
fore 1850, long before one would suppose the city 
large enough to make even the greatest distances in 
it a very serious obstacle to social intercourse or church 
attendance. It will be necessary for us to turn back 
thus far in the narrative and to trace through the in- 
terval the development of these conditions and their 
effect upon the church's life and the church's policy. 
We will begin for this purpose with the year 1828. 
None of the Brick Church people were then living 
above Fourth Street,* and yet the preface of the little 
church catalogue, issued in that year, remarks that 

* It will, perhaps, be interesting to note the addresses of the officers of 
the church at this time (as given in the catalogue of 1833): 

Elders. — Rensselaer Havens, Lafayette Place; William Whitlock, 80 
Franklin Street; John Adams, 144 Thompson Street; Alfred de Forest, 
26 Bond Street; Horace Holden, 34 Beekman Street; Moses Allen, 113 
Hudson Street; Silas Holmes, 8 College Place; Jasper Coming, 60 Walker 
Street; Abner L. Ely, 394 Pearl Street. 

Deacons. — William Couch, 50 Bleecker Street; John McComb, 193 
Fourth Street; John C. Halsey, 189 Water Street; Daniel Oakley, Jamaica, 
L. I.; Shepherd Knapp, 76 Boekman Street; Elijah Mead, 48 Cliff Street; 
Nichol H. Deering, 110 Grand Street. 



ON BEEKMAN STREET 253 

"the great obstacles to a personal acquaintance and 
familiar intercourse among Christians, in a city like 
this, are their wide dispersion, the continual change 
in their places of residence, and the consequent diffi- 
culty of ascertaining where they reside from year to 
year." Indeed the catalogue itself, which contained 
chiefly a list of the names and addresses of the con- 
gregation, was issued with the express hope that 
it might in a measure counteract these tendencies 
of the time, and lead to the cultivation once more 
of "that spirit of mutual intercourse which has in 
former years been so productive of good to this 
people." 

Apparently, in 1828, the members still managed to 
attend the church services with regularity, but a little 
more than ten years later the session felt called upon 
to prepare a special circular, of which 250 copies were 
printed, expressing to delinquent members the con- 
cern with which the session had observed their " habit- 
ual absence from the public worship of God" in the 
church of which they were members. The cause of 
this, the circular says, has no doubt been in large 
measure "the distance of [their] residence from the 
House of God," although the session is constrained 
to attribute it in part to a blameworthy neglect of 
duty also. "Exemplary churches," the elders point- 
edly add, "are composed not of members whose 
names simply are upon their records." If this was the 
state of things among the grown-up people, it was no 
wonder that at this same time, as was related in a 
former chapter, the children were similarly affected, 
and that the Sunday-school had diminished in num- 
bers as a result of "the widely scattered condition of 



254 THE BRICK CHURCH 

the congregation and the great distance of many 
famiHes from the place of instruction." 

In view of such real diflficulties as these, the ques- 
tion began to be asked whether the Brick Church 
would not be forced to move, and already various 
rumors were current concerning its probable new 
quarters and its successor on the site at Beekman 
Street. A New York writer in 1839, informs us, for 
instance, that "for a year or two past there has been 
some talk of removing the Brick Meeting House to 
make room for a post-office building. But I be- 
lieve," says he, "that the danger is now past, and the 
venerable edifice will still continue to grace our city, 
and serve for many years to come as a temple for the 
worship of the Most High." * 

The rumors here referred to were not altogether 
without foundation. At least, it was certain that the 
removal of the church had been seriously considered, 
and indeed, all but accomplished. The initiative in 
the matter had come from the city. In February, 
1836, the chairman of "the Committee on Lands and 
Places, of the Board of Assistant Aldermen" had 
written officially to ascertain whether the trustees of 
the Brick Church would be willing to surrender to 
the Corporation of the city "the triangular piece of 
ground now in their possession on Nassau, Beekman, 
and Chatham Streets leased from the Corporation," 
and, if so, what sum of money they would be willing 
to accept by way of compensation. 

The trustees, even at that early date, regarded 
the matter with sufficient favor to name a figure, 

* "Familiar Conversations on the History of the Evangelical Churches 
of N. Y.," by R. Carter, 1839, pp. 17G /. 



ON BEEKMAN STREET ^55 

$150,000, and even when the Corporation replied to 
this, offering $20,000 less, the trustees determined to 
bring the matter before the pew-holders, in order to 
gain their necessary consent. The pew-holders, 
however, by the smallest possible majority rejected 
the proposition. The vote stood fifty-one to fifty. 
It was thought that they might view the matter dif- 
ferently if the compensation were held at the trus- 
tees' original figure, but when, four days later 
this also was put to the vote, it met with a still 
more decisive defeat, sixty-one noes against forty- 
nine ayes. 

It would appear as though the incident had now 
been closed, but evidently a good deal of private ar- 
gument had been indulged in, and in this manner a 
large number of converts made, for another meeting 
of the pew-holders was held after a month's time, and 
at it the former action was reversed. In the preamble 
to the resolutions then adopted the objections to the 
Beekman Street site were again succinctly stated. 
"From the residence of a large portion of the families 
of the congregation at a distance from their present 
place of worship," this preamble said, "and the in- 
creasing changes of residence into the upper parts of 
the city, the present site of the church is deemed less 
promotive of the interest of religion than one which 
may be selected." Moreover, "the contemplated im- 
provement of streets * in the vicinity will render the 
place less quiet than it is, and will be accompanied 
with heavy expenses." On these grounds the pew- 

* The property had already suffered from the improvement of streets, 
the rtndening of Beekman Street in 1831, and of Spruce Street (affecting the 
north end of the lot) in 1834. The assessment in the one case was $750, 
in the other $2,000. 



g5C THE BRICK CHURCH 

holders voted to relinquish the property for $150,000. 
But now, when, apparently, this difficult step, from 
which many shrank, no doubt even some of those who 
voted for it, had been irrevocably taken, one word 
reduced the whole scheme to ruin. The Chancellor 
of the city, whose order was necessary to the com- 
pleting of the transaction, refused to give it, "on the 
grounds both of law and expediency." As a conse- 
quence the Board of Aldermen withdrew from the 
negotiations, and the trustees necessarily allowed the 
matter to drop. 

All this occurred, it will be remembered, before 
1838. Ten years now passed, during which the dif- 
ficulties perceptibly increased. The officers of the 
church realized more and more that the removal from 
Beekman Street was becoming a matter of the ut- 
most importance. Something must be done before 
the whole organization should be imperilled. It was 
true that, as yet, though the conditions were highly 
inconvenient and calculated to create alarm for the 
future, the church was in a prosperous condition, as 
the preceding chapters have abundantly shown. If 
only the Beekman Street site could by some means be 
exchanged for another before the tide turned, the 
church might yet be carried through the crisis with- 
out any real loss. 

Toward the close of 1847, the trustees themselves 
reopened negotiations. They sent a formal address 
to the Common Council requesting that body either 
to buy the church's interest in the property in ques- 
tion, or for a consideration to remove all restrictions 
from it, and transfer to the church " all the right, title, 
and interest of the Corporation of the City of New 



ON BEEKMAN STREET 257 

York therein." This communication, however, pro- 
duced no effect.* 

In May, 1850, the trustees, who must by this time 
have been a good deal troubled by the situation, 
again endeavored, without success, to bring the 
Common Council to some agreement. But even had 
they succeeded, they would now have been too late 
to bring the church through unscathed, for in this 
year of 1850, which we have already marked in pre- 
ceding chapters as a turning-point in the church's his- 
tory, the difficulties under which the church was labor- 
ing had become acute. The church had visibly begun 
to lose ground, and when this process had once set in 
there was no telling how rapidly it would advance. 

Of course the strongest and most valued friends of 
the church stood by her. She had no lack of wise and 
faithful men to fill her offices. Her treasury was well 
sustained by a generous constituency, which more 
than made up for any falling off in the pew-rents. 
Indeed, it will be remembered that in this very year 
of 1850, the treasurer had the pleasure, for the first 
time in a long period, of announcing a balance, and 

* It is a rather amusing circumstance that at the same time when these 
deeply important matters were the subject of correspondence between the 
church and the city government, the following somewhat msigmficant 
matter was also thought worthy of being carried direct to the attention of 
the city's Executive: "Repeated complamts having been made to the 
board of trustees that the noise by collections of boys in the neighborhood 
of the chapel is a very serious annoyance and frequently an interruption to 
the religious meetings held therein; therefore, Resolved, That a commu- 
nication be addressed to his Honor the Mayor, desiring his interference m 
the premises and the urgent request that he may adopt suitable measures 
effectually to remedy the evils complained of." Had the city fathers per- 
mitted themselves to be guided by their sense of humor, they might have 
sent word to the Brick Church trustees, "We regret our inability to buy 
your church site or remove the restriction in your title, but, on the other 
hand, we will see that the ' collections of boys ' are ' effectuaUy ' dealt with. 



258 THE BRICK CHURCH 

this comfortable state of things, so far as finances 
were concerned, continued even for two years longer. 
The first danger, then, did not lie in this direction. 
Rather it was the spiritual life of the church that was 
primarily imperilled. Its practical work was being 
curtailed, its habits of religious observance were be- 
ing weakened, its accustomed meetings and services, 
upon which its influence was so much dependent, 
were beinoj neglected more and more. 

The first direct effect was felt in the week-day ser- 
vices. For some time it had been difficult to maintain 
them, but now they were apparently about to die out 
altogether. Judging by the ominous silence in regard 
to it for the next six or eight years, the prayer-meeting 
did actually expire at this time; but an attempt was 
made to save the Thursday evening lecture by hold- 
ing it in quarters uptown, secured for this purpose. 
"Hope Chapel," a building erected not long before, 
on Broadway nearly opposite Waverly Place,* was 
accordingly hired. f 

Three years later, in 1853, the session proposed that 
the second Sunday service also should be held up- 
town, a still more radical suggestion. We do not 
know that it was ever carried out, but if not, it is 
probable that the service was at once abandoned 
altogether, for we know that a little later this had 
occurred. Indeed, there were periods, possibly of 

* It was built by certain members of the Stanton Street Church who 
took their letters and organized a church of their own in 1846. Mr. Bel- 
lamy became their pastor. It became later the Broadway Baptist Church. 
"A History of the Churches of All Denominations in N. Y.," by J. Green- 
leaf (N. Y,1850). p 412. 

t The precise date on which this was determined was October 17th, 
1849, but for the convenience of the round number, 1850 has been used in 
the text to date the "turning-point." 



ON BEEKMAN STREET 259 

a year at a time, when even the Thursday even- 
ing lecture was not held, in Hope Chapel or else- 
where; and finally in May, 1856, Dr. Spring, in show- 
ing how utterly impossible the condition of things 
had become, tells us that the weekly lecture, the 
prayer-meeting, and the Sunday-school had all per- 
force been discontinued, while it was with no small 
difficulty that a single service was maintained on the 
Lord's Day. That the Brick Church, which a few 
years before had been one of the most prosperous and 
influential churches in the city, should be reduced to 
this state, was an unhappy, and, to those who loved 
it, a heart-breaking fact. 

But meantime the officers had not been idle. On 
the contrary, as conditions grew worse and worse, in 
the years between 1850 and 1856, they redoubled 
their efforts to liberate the church from the position 
in which it was manifestly starving to death. Baf- 
fled as they had been in every attempt to dispose of 
their rights in the Beekman Street lot, they proposed 
in 1852, to abandon that endeavor, but at the same 
time held to their purpose "to procure or build an- 
other church edifice in the upper part of the city, to 
be occupied as an associated or colleague church, 
with their present establishment." Where the money 
was to come from for this costly enterprise is no- 
where explained, and it was probably this financial 
difficulty that caused the matter to be tabled from 
meeting to meeting without any progress toward a 
definite result. At any rate, the scheme was at length 
abandoned, and the trustees once more, with what 
discouragement we can well imagine, were forced back 
upon the attempt to effect a sale. 



260 THE BRICK CHURCH 

It may be well at this point to refresh the reader's 
memory in regard to the conditions which compli- 
cated this endeavor, and had thus far thwarted it. 
To state the matter in a sentence, the church did not 
own its property. It merely held it on a perpetual 
lease, and, moreover, with the restriction that it must 
never be converted to "private, secular uses." It is 
true that, carefully interpreted, these words did not 
imply the prohibition of every use that was either 
private or secular, but only such use as was both 
private and secular; that is, it was no doubt allow- 
able to put the property to a use which was secular 
but not private, such as a custom-house or an armory, 
or to a use which was private but not secular, such as 
a church or a cemetery. It was only forbidden to put 
it to a use which was both private and secular, such as 
a dwelling-house or a dry-goods store. From this in- 
terpretation there was some gain, and yet not very 
much, when it came to making a sale; for though 
some other church or the federal or State Government, 
if one of them acquired the Brick Church's rights in 
the property, could use it for some of the purposes 
mentioned above, they would not be very much in- 
clined to acquire land which was so strictly condi- 
tioned, and which would, therefore, be transferred 
again with great difficulty, if that should ever become 
desirable. Furthermore, it was questionable whether 
the church, acting by itself, had the power to 
transfer its rights at all. 

At one time, as has been described in an earlier 
chapter,* the Corporation of the city had shown a 
certain disposition to modify the restrictive terms of 

* See pp. 138-140. 



ON BEEKMAN STREET 261 

the original grant. In 1831, when the new chapel 
was being built, permission had been given to rent for 
ordinary business purposes "two smaller rooms 
fronting toward Chatham Street," "without affecting 
the validity of the grant or lease." In 1835 the Cor- 
poration granted still greater liberty, for they then so 
modified the terms of the grant "as to authorize and 
permit the said church, from time to time and at all 
times during the continuance of the said lease, to 
rent so much and such parts of the new edifice erected 
on the rear of said church as may not be required for 
religious purposes." From this the church derived 
decided benefit, in that the rental of its rooms added 
materially to its income ; but it is evident that nothing 
in these modifications of the grant concerning the use 
of the chapel made a sale of the entire property any 
more easy. 

To sum the whole matter up, it appeared that in 
the ordinary course of affairs there were but two ways 
open by which the church could proceed. Either it 
must obtain from the city, for an equitable considera- 
tion, a complete removal of all restrictions, so that 
the property could be sold to any one for any 
purpose whatsoever, or else the city itself must 
be induced to take the property and pay the church 
the value of the church's rights. In 1847, as we 
have seen, an attempt had been made to accom- 
plish either one of these two things, but without 
success. This was still the situation of affairs in 
1853. 

But we have as yet spoken of only one set of diffi- 
culties by which a sale was prevented. There were 
also other difficulties of a different sort. The church 



262 THE BRICK CHURCH 

had been in the habit of seUing its pews from time to 
time to individuals. It had also sold in like manner 
certain burial vaults in the churchyard. The pur- 
chasers in each of these cases had thus acquired cer- 
tain rights in the property and must be reckoned 
with if the property should be alienated. In regard 
to the vaultrowners, it was at first proposed to sat- 
isfy them by the promise of a reasonable indemnity, 
but finally, before the end of the negotiation which 
we are about to study, it was deemed wise for the 
church to buy back the vaults and so remove this 
complication altogether. It so happened that a sec- 
ond widening of Beekman Street just at this time, 
which forced the removal of a number of vaults in 
any case, aided the church materially in this under- 
taking.* 

The rights of the pew-owners could not be dealt 
with in this way. The sum required would have been 
very considerable and, moreover, they themselves did 
not wish to sell. They preferred, if the church 
moved, to have their rights transferred to pews in the 
new building. Meantime, as we have seen, it was 
considered necessary to gain their consent before any 
sale of the property could be consummated; and 
they had a Avill of their own, which they occasionally 
asserted in opposition to the measures proposed by 
the trustees. Happily, however, as time went on, 
practically all of them were convinced that the change 
of location was necessary. In February, 1853, it was 
found, after a careful inquiry, that there was only 

* The city officials in 1853 claimed that the opposition of the vault- 
owners to a sale of the property had up to that time been not only one, 
but the chief obstacle to an agreement. This, however, is extremely 
unlikely, 
















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ON BEEKMAN STREET 263 

one pew-owner who expressed decided opposition to 
the measure.* 

At the same date all nine trustees and nine mem- 
bers of the session, including the pastor, put them- 
selves on record as being of the opinion that the 
change must be made, and the remaining two elders 
declared that they would at least offer no opposition. 
Backed by this almost unanimous approval, the 
board of trustees took an entirely new step ; they made 
application to the Supreme Court for an order 
authorizing the Brick Church to dispose of its prop- 
erty "and to execute to the purchaser or purchasers 
good and sufficient conveyances therefor." 

In this the trustees scored their first real success. 
The order was issued on February 15th, 1853. f Exact- 
ly what power it gave must be thoroughly understood. 
It did not alter in any way the original restriction 
upon the property, that it should not be converted to 
private, secular uses, but it authorized the Corpora- 
tion of the Brick Church "to sell and convey all their 
church property, lands, and tenements, situate in the 
Second Ward of the City of New York . . . either 
at public or private sale, subject to the conditions and 
restrictions contained in the grant." That is, it was 
now declared that, if the church could find a pur- 
chaser, able and willing to use the property for other 
than private, secular uses, a legal sale could be made 
without any permission or cooperation of the city. 
On the other hand, a new restriction was added. 
The proceeds of the sale must be applied "to the 

* Twenty-one others did not favor it, but agreed not to oppose, and of 
five the opinion was not known, they being absent from the city. See Ap- 
pendix S, p. 537. 

f See Appendix X, p. 547. 



264 THE BRICK CHURCH 

purchase of other lands in said city and to the erec- 
tion of a new church edifice thereon." This, of 
course, was an entirely just provision.* 

Greatly encouraged by this evidence that the tide 
had at length turned, and assured of their position in 
a degree that had not before been possible, the trus- 
tees approached once more the authorities of the city. 
They had several interviews with the Commissioners 
of the Sinking Fund, and made the offer to give 
$15,000 to the city for a removal of all restrictions. 
This, however, "was considered a sum too trifling." 
The Commissioners called attention to the facts, that 
for eighty years the church had been exempt from 
taxation and had enjoyed freely the city's protection. 
Moreover, the value of its property had been greatly 
increased by many improvements which had involved 
the city in a heavy debt and burdensome taxation. It 
was urged that the trustees should, in view of these 
facts, concede something to the public benefit, "and 
it is believed," say the Commissioners in their report 
to the Common Council, "that these considerations 
have had their influence in bringing the trustees up 
from their proposition of $15,000," to the accept- 
ance of the plan which was finally agreed upon. 

By this it was proposed that the property be put 
up at auction, the minimum price being fixed at 
$225,000, and that of the proceeds, twenty-five per 
cent, should go to the city, the rest to the church. By 
this arrangement the city would receive at least 
$56,250, and the church at least $168,750. It was 
thought, however, by the representatives both of the 

* For this and other details to follow see "Board of Aldermen, Docu- 
ment No. 37" (1S54). 



ON BEEKMAN STREET 265 

city and of the church, that the property would bring 
at least $250,000, and probably much more. 

This plan in its entirety was accepted by the trus- 
tees on April 6th, 1853,* who even appointed a com- 
mittee to confer regarding the "time, the terms, and 
conditions of site," but although the Commissioners 
of the Sinking Fund and afterward the Committee on 
Finance of the Board of Aldermen reported favor- 
ably, no final action was taken by the city at this 
time. The trustees, disgusted by the delay, employed 
legal counsel to aid them, and even secured opinions 
on the subject from Judge Bronson and Charles 
O'Connor. They attacked the city authorities 
through the Comptroller f and through the Mayor. J 
They even considered § "the expediency of institut- 
ing legal proceedings against the city Corporation, 
with a view to ascertain what the rights of this 
church are under its grant." But, although they were 
apparently led to believe that the city would at some 
time act favorably upon the matter, no action could 
be secured until 1856. 

This tedious interval, however, had not all been 
spent by the trustees in a state of discouragement. 
At one point in it they had strong reason to believe 
that they had the whole matter in their own hands, 
that, armed with the Supreme Court's order, they 
might accomplish a sale without any cooperation of 
the city authorities at all. The circumstances were 

♦Their committee, in recommending this, gave as one reason "the 
present peculiar condition of the city government." PoUtics in New York 
at this time were in a somewhat confused state. Corruption had already 
infected many lower officials. Two years later the notorious Fernando 
Wood was elected Mayor. ^ ,occ 

t In February, 1854. t In January, 1855. $ In August, 1855. 



266 THE BRICK CHURCH 

these. In September, 1854, the agents of the United 
States " advertised for proposals for the purchase of a 
site for a post-office and for courts, etc.," in the 
city of New York. Here was the very chance that 
the church needed,* and for which it had not even 
dared to hope. For the purposes here expressed the 
church had full legal right to sell, and the United 
States Government to buy and use, the property on 
Beekman Street, without the aid or consent of any 
other party whatsoever. 

The trustees very quietly went to work, considering 
the matter from every point of view, and finally send- 
ing a committee twice to Washington to confer with 
the proper officials there. From the second of these 
two visits the committee returned, feeling that the 
prospect of a sale was favorable. There was, indeed, 
a difficulty (was there not always a difficulty in this 
struggle to dispose of the church's "angular lot".'*). 
Congress had so left the matter, that it was a 
question whether the President could act without 
further sanction. Still Mr. Pierce, who was at 
that time the nation's Chief Executive, and with 
whom the church's committee had conferred, gave 
them the impression that he considered himself 
to have the necessary authority. The Secretary of 
the Interior, the Hon. Robert McClelland, had also 
received the church's proposition in a friendly way; 
and indeed the offer was, in the trustees' opinion, so 
highly advantageous to the Government, that they 
expected every effort would be made to accept it. 

They had offered the property at $300,000, which 

* For a curious prophecy of this proposal fifteen years before, see above 
p. 2o4. 



ON BEEKMAN STREET 267 

was one-fourth less than what would be the value, it 
was said, were there no restrictions, the reduction 
being made because of the government's being ready 
to use the land for purposes not prohibited by the 
original grant, so that the city need not be consulted 
and the whole sum would go to the church. If, 
moreover, the valuation was thought to be too high 
they would willingly submit that matter to any com- 
petent judges for revision. They asked for a reply 
within twenty days and also "that unless accepted 
and the contract signed, the proposal shall not be 
made known to any but the gentlemen connected 
with the service of the United States, whose inter- 
ference may be deemed useful to the government." 

But the reader knows, of course, that the New York 
Post-Office was never built on the church's land. 
Within the twenty days, on May 22d, 1855, word 
was received "that the President, after mature re- 
flection, had concluded that it w^ould be of doubtful 
propriety to take any action in the matter of the pur- 
chase of the Brick Church property without further 
sanction of Congress." 

This, it is a pleasure to state, was the last of the 
many disappointments which these patient church 
officers were called upon to endure. At the very 
meeting when the declination was received from 
Washington, two applications for the purchase of 
the property were received from other quarters. 
These were conditioned, no doubt, upon that coop- 
eration of the city which had been so long delayed; 
but still there was distinct encouragement in the 
knowledge that the property was in active demand, 
and that pressure would now be exerted, not only by 



268 THE BRICK CHURCH 

the sellers, but by prospective buyers, to have the 
matter speedily settled. The trustees had, it is true, 
felt all along that their property possessed an assured 
value, which was bound to be realized in time — they 
had even trusted so far in this assurance as to open 
negotiations already for new land uptown, as we shall 
see in the next chapter — but the result would be 
doubly and trebly welcome if it could come at once. 
In January, 1856, they received a definite offer of 
$175,000, for their rights in the property, but they 
stood out for $200,000. And three months later, this 
course was justified, when their figure was definitely 
accepted by Frederick P. James, Edward B. Wesley, 
and Henry Keep, who became the purchasers, for 
the sum named above, of all the rights of the Brick 
Church in the property which it had occupied for 
nearly ninety years.* 

♦The contract was signed on April 11th, and the deed delivered a 
month later. The church was given " the right to remove from the church 
edifice the bell and furniture and fixtures in the church" and also "the 
right to remove at their own cost the remains of the dead contained in the 
vaults and in said ground." The church was to receive the award for 
damages for the widening of Beekman Street; but agreed to pay the assess- 
ment for the same, and also to settle the claims of all vault-owners who 
should not have been previously bought out. In the process of removing 
the dead, as here provided for, there arose the "novel and interesting 
question, Who is legally entitled to the custody of the dead?" In order to 
settle this point a friendly suit was instituted. The remains of one Moses 
Sherwood (identified " by the ribbon, by which his hair was tied in a queue, 
found lying with his skull and bones") were claimed by his daughter, al- 
though the grave in which he had been buried was now the property of the 
church. The trustees raised no objection, but desired that the rights in 
the matter should be legally determined. They received with pleasure 
the decision of Judge Davies, in committing the dead exclusively to the 
next of kin, and thanked both the Judge and Samuel B. Ruggles, Esq., 
who had "vindicated the rights of the dead," for the achievement of a 
result so distinctly in accord with "Christian sentiment, taste and feeling." 
See "An Examination of the Law of Burial," by S. B. Ruggles. 



ON BEEKMAN STREET 269 

This sale was consummated, "subject to the pro- 
posal made by the church to the Corporation to sell 
said property at auction," for this proposal had finally 
been accepted by the city, and the auction did actually 
take place on Wednesday, May 14th, at twelve o'clock 
noon, at the Merchants' Exchange. In this the 
church, of course, was not directly interested. It had 
aheady sold its rights and received the payment 
therefor in full. Yet the trustees could not but regard 
with interest the event which, in accordance with the 
city's agreement, would once and forever wipe out 
those words "private, secular uses," which had so 
long chained the Brick Church, against its judgment, 
to its downtown site. 

When the auction took place, and the property was 
sold for $270,000, it was found that Messrs. James, 
Wesley, and Keep had bought it in.* It was reported 
that the only bidder against them was Mr. A. T. 
Stewart. As is well known, upon the ground m 
question were afterward erected the Potter and 
Times office buildings. 

After following the history of the church through 
these trying years, the reader will certainly agree 
that only a very strong organization, sustained by 
devoted members, could have withstood the effects 
of such a prolonged period of discouragement and 
increasingly adverse conditions. How much reserve 
strength the church possessed, and how soon 
that strength manifested itself in the reestabhsh- 
ment of the old work in a new field, as soon as 
that was possible, and also in the establishment 
of new work, even before the move uptown had 

* The property therefore cost them $267,500. 



270 THE BRICK CHURCH 

been fully accomplished, will be told in the next 
chapter. 

It is but fair to say that a large element in this 
ability of the church to outlive such a long wandering 
in the wilderness was the devotion of all the people 
to their now venerable pastor. A very convincing 
evidence of this, and at the same time, a notable 
proof of the fact that the adverse conditions of the 
years between 1850 and 1856 had not exhausted 
the financial resources of the congregation, are sup- 
plied by the fact that in June, 1854, in the very midst 
of the period of discouragement. Dr. Spring's salary 
was increased to $5,000.* In voting this, the trustees 
expressed some contrition that for a series of years 
their pastor had been receiving a salary "below the 
average amount paid to many of the clergymen of 
this city." But that this delay had been due to no lack 
of appreciation, their act at this diflScult juncture, 
and perhaps still more the words of unbounded con- 
fidence and love by which it was accompanied,! 
proved beyond any doubt. 

* From $3,250. Cf. p. 144. 

t The letter which conveyed the notice of the increase of salary was as 
follows: 

New York, June 13th, 1854. 
Rev. Dr. Spring : — 

Dear Sir: The undersigned have been appointed a committee to com- 
municate to you the accompanying resolutions, passed unanimously at a 
meeting of the congregation, and subsequently in hke manner ratified and 
confirmed by the board of trustees. 

It affords us great pleasure to discharge this duty, and it is only em- 
bittered with the regret that this act of justice has been so long delayed, 
much of which delay may be chargeable to our own negligence or forget- 
fulness, not to use a harsher name. 

It is gratifying to be able to state that on this occasion but one senti- 
ment pervaded the entire meeting; not the slightest dissent was mani- 
fested in thought, word, or deed. It was the spontaneous expression of 
grateful feelings from full and thankful hearts. 



ON BEEKMAN STREET ^71 

On Sunday May 25th, 1856, the Brick Church 
congregation met for the last time in their old down- 
town churcli- We need not be told that, in how- 
ever remote a part of the city they might then be 
living, they found the distance no bar to their attend- 
ing on that memorable and affecting occasion. We 
are even sure that many who had transferred their 
membership to other churches, or had even moved 

For almost half a century you have occupied the same post and the 
same sphere of labor and of duty. Some of us have sat under your min- 
istry for more than forty years, and during that long period can bear testi- 
mony to your untiring industry, your unbending integrity in the exhibi- 
tion of gospel truth amid conflicts and parties, and your entire devotion to 
the appropriate duties of the ministry. 

We feel, too, that it is neither flattery to you, nor vain boasting in us, 
but a thankful expression of gratitude to God, to say that yours has not 
been an unprofitable ministry, nor [has] your influence been confined to 
this church. We can see traces of your faithful preaching, marked by the 
divine Spirit, not only in our city and vicinity, but in almost every State of 
this vast republic; and we expect, if we are ever so happy as to arrive at 
our Father's house on high, to meet multitudes there, of those whom nei- 
ther we nor you have known in the flesh, brought home to glory through 
your instrumentality. 

It is a source of delightful reflection to us that in the early evening of 
your days, after so long a ministry among us, you retain the undimin- 
ished confidence and affection of your whole people, an affection as warm 
and fresh as crowned the day when first you devoted your youthful prime 
in this church to Christ and his cause. 

Our beloved Pastor, these expressions but feebly represent our own 
sincere emotions. We would humbly commend you to the Great Head of 
the Church, and earnestly pray that he may preserve you yet for many 
years to come, to preach the everlasting gospel to this people; that he may 
make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you; and finally, when our 
warfare ia accomplished, that he may receive you and us to that blessed 
communion where our love shall be forever perfect, and our joy forever 
full. 

Respectfully and affectionately, 

Horace Holden, "1 

Samuel Marsh, I 

Moses Allen, }■ Committee. 

Ira Bliss, 1 

Guy Richards. J 

Quoted from "Br. Ch. Mem.," p. 32. note. 



272 THE BRICK CHURCH 

out of New York, were found in the pews that day, 
their hearts full of old memories wliich made it good 
to be there.* 

We may leave it to Dr. Spring himself to express 
the emotions which characterized that last meeting in 
the familiar place, and to interpret its significance. 
The following extracts from the farewell sermon which 
he that day delivered f will fitly bring this chapter to 
its conclusion. 

*'The present service," he began, "closes the pub- 
lic worship of God in an edifice where it has been en- 
joyed for eighty-eight years. For whatever purposes 
this hallowed ground may be hereafter employed, ex- 
perience has convinced us that it is no longer a fit 
place for religious worship. We have admitted this 
conviction reluctantly; we have resisted it too long. 
It is now forced upon us by considerations which we 
have no doubt God approves, and the best interests of 
his kingdom demand. 

"With the future," he continues, "we have less to 
do on the present occasion, than the past"; and with 
this introduction he proceeds to tell briefly that his- 
tory which has already been told with greater fulness 
in the preceding pages of the present volume, includ- 
ing an account of the discouragements and losses of 
the last six years. One detail only needs to be added 
at this point. "The question has been asked," says 
Dr. Spring, "AMiy not leave this church as a church 
for strangers, and for the hotels and boarding-houses 
in this part of the city ? To this we have this conclu- 

* When the building was torn down many were seen rescuing " bricks " 
from the ruin, and one of these, preserved by Miss Sarah Casper, now of 
Fort Lee, N. J., is to-day among the church's rehcs. 

t The text was Psalm 48 : 9-14. 



ON BEEKMAN STREET 273 

sive answer, We ourselves have proposed to do so. 
At a meeting of the Presbytery of New York I myself 
made the proposition to the churches, that this con- 
gregation would subscribe $50,000, for that purpose, 
on condition that the other congregations would unite 
in raising the balance of $150,000. The Presbytery 
received the proposal with favor, and appointed a 
committee to take it into consideration. That com- 
mittee reported against the proposed arrangement, 
and the Presbytery and the congregations dropped 
the subject. 

**And now," says Dr. Spring, after he has com- 
pleted his historical survey, "in this brief review, 
what shall we say.? One thought forces itself upon 
your minds and my own. It relates to a theme on 
which I have so often dwelt in this sacred desk: The 
goodness of God, how wonderful it is ! The rising and 
setting sun proclaim it, and every star of the dark 
night. . . . Every sea, every lake and fountain, 
every river and stream and sparkling dew-drop, re- 
ceive alike their riches and their beauty from this un- 
created source. How much more richly and purely, 
then, does it flow here in the sanctuary, where all its 
streams are confluent, and from the mountain tops of 
Zion send gladness through the city of our God. . . . 

"On an occasion like the present something is due 
to this ancient sanctuary. The speaker stands here 
for the last time; and you, beloved friends, meet for 
the last time in the consecrated place, where we have 
so often assembled for the worship of God. . . . We 
call upon you to witness, we call upon the sacred 
spirits of the departed to witness, we make our appeal 
to the walls of this hallowed edifice, if the truth of 



274 THE BRICK CHURCH 

God . . . has not been proclaimed from this pulpit. 
This house has also been greatly endeared to us as 
'the house of prayer,' as 'the house of prayer for all 
people.' . . . This house has been our thankful re- 
sort in prosperity ; in adversity it has been our refuge. 
Here the aged and the young have come for the first 
and the last time to commemorate the love of Christ 
at his table. Here our children have been baptized, 
and their children after them, and here we have wept 
and prayed together as God has called them from 
these earthly scenes. ... I seem to stand to-day 
amid generations that are past, so vividly does my 
imagination people these seats with faces and forms 
whose place now knows them no more. 

"This house has also been the stranger's home. Of 
this and of that man it shall one day be said, that ' he 
was born here.' Many a wanderer from other lands, 
and more from distant regions of our own broad ter- 
ritory, have here sought and made their peace with 
God. *We have thought of thy loving-kindness, O 
God, in the midst of thy temple,' that 'we may tell it 
to the generations following.' . . . 

"But our work and our privileges in this house of 
God here have an end. It is his voice which to-day 
says to us, * Arise ye, and depart hence, for this is not 
your rest.' We have occupied it too long; and, al- 
though it has been for the benefit and enlargement of 
other congregations, it has been not only to the dimi- 
nution of our strength, but to the injury of our habits 
as a people. . . . 

"We have been a harmonious people for six and 
forty years; and we are now harmonious in this great 
and agitating question. . . . We bid [this house] 



ON BEEKMAN STREET ^75 

adieu, to follow the guidance of [God's] providence, 
and pitch our tabernacle under the pillar and the 
cloud. . . . Farewell, then, thou endeared house of 
God! Thou companion and friend of my youth, 
thou comforter of my later years, thou scene of toil 
and of repose, of apprehension and of hope, of sorrow 
and of joy, of man's infirmity and of God's omnipo- 
tent grace, farewell ! * 

"But not to thee, O thou that hearest prayer . . . 
do we say farewell. . . Even now, at this late, this 
last hour, from the bottom of our hearts do we say, 
'If thy presence go not with us, carry us not up 
hence.' . . . Nor, my beloved people, is it to you 
that your pastor says farewell. These brick walls 
and this plastered ceiling, and these pillars and seats, 
do not constitute the Brick Presbyterian Church. 
Ye are these constituents, and 'ye are our glory and 

joy-' • • • 

"These days of solicitude and agitation will soon 
be over. 'The root of Jesse' yet stands as an 'en- 
sign to the people, and his rest shall be glorious.' 

* In "Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper," for May 10th, 1856, ap- 
peared pictures of both the exterior and interior of the church. The fol- 
lowing is a part of the accompanying text: "It is probable that in the 
course of a few weeks the Old Brick Church in Beekman Street, known for 
so many years as 'Dr. Spring's' will be torn down to make way for 'mod- 
ern improvements.' It is thus that one old landmark after another disap- 
pears, and the time is not far distant when ' old fogies ' will not find a fa- 
miliar wrinkle upon the entire face of New York. . . . Our engravings 
make any allusion to the architecture of the building and its interior un- 
necessary. Suffice it to say that, with all our wealth and extravagance, but 
little advance has been made upon the real beauty and picturesque effect 
of the old churches, built when New York had but little wealth, and was 
really but a country village. Embalmed in our columns, the antiquarian 
will, in future times, turn to them with pleasure, and learn what was the 
appearance of the Old Brick Church before it gave way to the wants of our 
ever-increasing population." 



276 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Only take diligent heed and be very courageous to do 
his will, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in 
his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to 
cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart 
and all your soul, and his presence and blessing shall 
be with you and yours for a great while to come. The 
Lord bless you and keep you ; the Lord cause his face 
to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the 
Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you 
peace. His name be upon you and your children. 
Amen and Amen. And let all the people say, 
Amen." * 

*"Br. Ch. Mem.,"pp.7-42. 



CHAPTER XVI 

THE MOVE TO MURRAY HILL: 1855-1858 

" So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shout- 
ing, and with the sound of the trumpet. . . . And they brought in the ark of 
the Lord, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had 
pitched for it." — 2 Samuel 6 : 15, 17. 

" We have lived to see the top stone of this edifice laid, and its doors open to us. 
We have nothing to ask in the external and material arrangements of this house. 
It is not a gorgeous edifice; it has no decorated walls and arches, and no splendid 
magnificence. Yet there are stability and comfort and tasteful architecture, which 
do honor to the genius and fidelity of those employed in projecting, erecting, and 
embellishing it. 'Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.'" — Gardiner Spring, 
1858, "The Brick Church Memorial," p. 71. 

A PERIOD of fifty years in the life of a city 
does not seem very long, but when we realize 
the changes that have taken place in New 
York in the last half century, we cannot but realize 
that, counted by results, it may be a very long time 
indeed. It is, in truth, hard to picture to ourselves 
the city that existed on Manhattan Island in 1855, 
when the Brick Church first definitely began to look 
at new sites. One is almost inclined to doubt that 
Thirty-fourth Street, which to-day is fast becoming 
the centre of the retail shopping district, was then al- 
most at the northern limit of the built-up part of the 
city, with open fields beyond, and indeed many unoc- 
cupied spaces below it; but such was, indeed, the fact. 
An extract from some unpublished reminiscences 
of New York in the forties and fifties * will serve to 

* By the author's mother. 

277 



278 THE BRICK CHURCH 

introduce us to the conditions then existing in the 
neighborhood of the present Brick Church. In 1848, 
we are told, the last houses on Madison Avenue were 
just above Twenty-seventh Street. "A grove of trees 
was where the next block now is, and nothing ob- 
structed the view from our windows, so that we could 
see as far as Hoboken. ... I could roll my hoople 
before breakfast to the end of Madison Avenue, 
which stopped at Forty-second Street." One de- 
tail of the life of the city at that time I venture 
to add from the same source. It goes far toward 
showing how different conditions then were from 
those with which we are now familiar. "I walked 
generally to school and back. If I rode, it was by 
stage. They were white stages, filled with straw for 
your feet, and with cornucopias containing flowers 
painted on the sides. After a heavy fall of snow 
there would be stage-sleighs, and there was enough 
snow then to give us fine sleigh-rides. The traffic 
was nothing, compared to to-day. I remember that 
we knew generally to whom the private carriages be- 
longed, usually from the coachman, who stopped long 
enough on the box in those days to impress his feat- 
ures on the rising generation." Street railways were, 
in certain parts of the city, beginning to make their 
appearance, but they were as yet very far from being 
the typical mode of conveyance. In 1856, as another 
writer tells us, "the slow stage still travelled its weary 
way along Wall Street and Broadway." * 

The fashionable quarters of the city were then 
Broad Street, Washington Square, East Broadway, 
St. John's Park and Second Avenue, while Chelsea 

* "Memorial Hist, of N. Y.," Vol. Ill, p. 447. 




THE BRICK CHURCH ON MURRAY HILL 

Taken in March, 1908 



THE MOVE TO MURRAY HILL 279 

was regarded as a very select neighborhood.* Some 
"splendid ranges of private residences" f had been 
built on lower Fifth Avenue, and a very few, like out- 
posts of the advancing city, had even reached as far 
north as Murray Hill. "The wealthy Dr. Town- 
send," for instance, had erected at the corner of 
Fifth Avenue and Thirty-fifth Street a mansion of 
"almost royal splendor," as contemporary observ- 
ers described it. The curious public were admitted 
by ticket, we are told, the proceeds being devoted to 
the Five Points Mission. J A new fashion in domes- 
tic architecture, by the way, had just invaded New 
York at this time. Houses of red brick and built in 
the London style, such as were then to be seen on 
Broadway and may still be seen on the north side of 
Washington Square, were being replaced by the 
brownstone, high-stoop structures, § which for many 
years became almost universal throughout the city, 
and which went far toward making New York, in the 
day of their ascendancy, one of the homeliest cities 
on the face of the globe. 

This sketch of the conditions which existed, when the 
trustees of the Brick Church began to look for their 
new site, will help us to appreciate what it really 
meant for the church to "move uptown." We soon 
discover that in order to build for the future rather 
than for the fleeting present, the church proposed to 
move practically out into the country. This was cer- 
tainly a bold plan, but no less certainly it was a pro- 
foundly wise one. 

* The region about Ninth Avenue and Twentieth Street. 

t "Putnam's Magazine," March, 1854. 

i "Leshe's Hist, of Greater N. Y.," by Daniel Van Pelt, Vol. I, p. 344. 

^ "Memorial Hist, of N. Y.," Vol. Ill, p. 447. 



280 THE BRICK CHURCH 

The trustees took their first definite step toward 
securing new land at the time when the sale of the 
old site to the United States Government still seemed 
a possibility. And, indeed, they almost bought, in 
April, 1855, a plot of ground on the south-east corner 
of Fifth Avenue and Thirtieth Street.* It was only 
the discovery of a possible defect in the title that 
prevented the purchase from being made. 

No further steps were taken in this matter until 
April, 1856, when the old property had finally been 
sold. Then preparations were made to proceed at 
once. To a committee of two, consisting of Paul 
Spofford and Shepherd Knapp, the task was en- 
trusted, and for their guidance it was formally voted 
that the site selected should be somewhere between 
Twenty-third and Forty-second streets, and between 
Sixth and Madison avenues. A week later the com- 
mittee made its first recommendation. Of all the 
sites examined by them within the prescribed area 
they favored one on the north-east corner of Fifth 
Avenue and Thirty-sixth Street. f They also men- 
tioned verbally that a piece of land on Twenty-third 
Street, belonging to Mr. Amos R. Eno, and held at 
$72,000, was available, but they did not recommend 
it. 

The trustees, however, "after mature deliberation 
and discussion," decided upon Mr. Eno's land, J and 
the committee, although they were unconvinced, and 
although Mr. Knapp requested that "his decided 

* It measured 96 feet on the avenue, by 175 on the side street. The 
price was $58,000. 

t It contained eight city lots and was held at S60,000. 

t It consisted of 100 feet "east of Mr. Arnold's house" on Twenty- 
third Street, and extending through to Twenty-fourth. 



THE MOVE TO MURRAY HILL 281 

choice" of the Thirty-sixth Street site be noted in the 
minutes, consented to make the vote unanimous. 
A month later an irreconcilable difference as to cer- 
tain conditions of the sale arose between Mr. Eno 
and the trustees, with the result that they ceased to 
negotiate. The majority of the board, however, still 
favored Twenty-third Street as the most suitable 
location for the church. 

It is interesting that in spite of this expressed pref- 
erence of the board, the committee on the new site, 
had so far the courage of their convictions as to 
report at the next meeting Murray Hill sites only; 
and what was more, they succeeded in bringing the 
majority to their views. Before they rose from this 
meeting the trustees had voted unanimously that the 
committee "be directed to purchase one of three plots 
of ground reported by the committee, and that the 
north-west corner of Thirty-seventh Street and Fifth 
Avenue have the preference, and the corner of Thirty- 
sixth Street and Fifth Avenue have the second pref- 
erence, and the corner of Thirty-eighth Street and 
Fifth Avenue, west side, have the third preference." 
Six days later, on September 15th, 1856, the com- 
mittee reported that the first choice had been actually 
bought * for $58,000. This, it will be observed, was 
$14,000, less than had been asked for the Twenty- 
third Street property. 

The newly acquired land, upon which the present 
Brick Church was to be erected, measures ninety- 
eight feet, nine inches on Fifth Avenue and one hun- 
dred and forty-five feet on Thirty-seventh Street, 
and the purchase included "all the stone, brick, lime, 

* From Mr. U. Hendricks. 



282 THE BRICK CHURCH 

and cement that are now on and in front of said 
lots." 

The property, as this added clause suggests, had 
been previously occupied. In about 1845, Mr. Cov- 
entry Waddcll, who, we are told, had held for a long 
time a confidential position in the State Department 
at Washington, had here built himself a residence of 
"yellowish gray" stucco with brow^nstone trimmings. 
It was in the Gothic style and was regarded as a 
handsome specimen of domestic architecture. The 
following account of it is taken from Lamb's " History 
of the City of New York." * ]Mr. WaddelFs man- 
sion "was a famous social centre, although at the pe- 
riod of its erection Fifth Avenue above Madison 
Square was little more than a common road, and the 
old farm fences were visible on all sides. . . . The 
place, when improved, was called a suburban villa; 
its grounds, beautified with taste, covered the whole 
square between Thirty-seventh and Thirty-eighth 
streets. . . . When Fifth Avenue was graded, the 
edifice was rendered still more imposing and pictur- 
esque by its elevated position." A writer in " Putnam's 
Monthly," March, 1854, gives a contemporary descrip- 
tion: "It is remarkable for being enclosed in its own 
garden ground, as high as the original level of the 
island, and descends by sloping grass banks to the 
street. There is also a Gothic cottage-lodge on the 
north side of the garden, of which and of the whole 
ground, a fine view is obtained from the terrace of 
the Croton Reservoir." The house, we are also told, 
"was finished in a style of costly elegance, and a 
large conservatory and picture-gallery were among its 

•Vol. II, pp. 75G/. 



THE MOVE TO MURRAY HILL 283 

attractions. From its broad marble hall a winding 
staircase led to the tower, from which a charming 
view was obtained of both the East and Hudson 
rivers, the intervening semi-rural landscape, and the 
approaching city. It was the scene of many notable 
entertainments, Mrs. Waddell being a leader of 
society." * 

There is probably no district in New York to-day 
whose character exactly corresponds with that of 
Murray Hill in the years while the Brick Church was 
building, 1856 to 1858. To-day one must travel out 
into the more distant suburban towns in order to see 
an entire community of the better sort coming into 
existence all at one time, the homes and churches of 
the well-to-do, with schools for their children, all go- 
ing up together. Where, on the "frontier" of the 
city itself, new regions are now suddenly developing 
amid open j&elds, the buildings are usually of an in- 
ferior sort. The wealthy residents of New York in 
our day have ceased to be pioneers. But in the 
middle of the nineteenth century Murray Hill was 
suddenly seized upon and developed by people of posi- 
tion and means, who there set about the transforma- 
tion of a region of almost open country with scattered 
suburban residences, into a district of city streets, 
with costly houses built in solid blocks. Dr. Town- 
send's somewhat pretentious house, which had been 
erected in 1855, and which stood two blocks below the 
site of the church, has already been mentioned. In 
1857 and 1858 houses were going up to the west of 
the church site on Thirty-seventh Street and imme- 
diately north of it on the avenue. The building of 

*Lamb'8 "History." See above, 



284 THE BRICK CHURCH 

the church itself was, of course, a most important fac- 
tor in these operations, for it helped greatly to fix the 
character of the neighborhood and to attract as 
residents the most desirable class of people. 

Even before the site for the church had been se- 
cured, the trustees had begun to consider in a general 
way, the plans for their new building, but when 
Thirty-seventh Street was finally determined upon, 
they began in earnest. A committee consisting of 
Messrs. Spofford, Knapp, and Holden of the trustees, 
and Mr. John M. Nixon, representing the congrega- 
tion, presented tentative plans for the new church 
and lecture room in November, 1856. It seems to 
have been agreed by all, from the beginning, that in 
its shape and in the general arrangement of its pews 
the new building should resemble the old one, and 
especially that, while each pew might well be made 
more commodious and the aisles increased in width, 
the seating capacity should not be enlarged. "No 
church [to be under the charge of one pastor]," it was 
said, "should contain a greater number of pews'' 
than did the old place of worship on Beekman 
Street. 

In regard, however, to several other important 
matters, there was some uncertainty. It was first 
proposed, for instance, that the lecture room should 
be under the church, but fortunately it was at length 
decided that a chapel should be erected in the rear of 
the main build in*', although it was feared that this 
would add $10,000 to the cost. Another important 
question related to the placing of the pipe organ; 
for it had been determined that the violoncello should 
no longer supply tlu^ rhurch's music. This innova- 



THE MOVE TO MURRAY HILL 285 

tion, which the trustees had early made a part of their 
plans, was, it is interesting to know, heartily desired 
by the congregation and by the session, "in the 
hope," as they said, "of adding interest to the public 
worship of the sanctuary." * The debated question 
in regard to the organ, therefore, was not whether 
there should be one, but where it should be placed, 
some favoring the front of the church above 
the entrance, and others the west end behind the 
pulpit. 

The architect employed for the preliminary work 
was Mr. Leopold Eidlitz, but after February, 1857, 
the work was in the hands of the firm of T. Thomas 
and Son,f to whom doubtless the final plans, from 
which the church was built, should be altogether 
attributed. Several months were spent in this all- 
important work of preparation, and then, in the 
summer of 1857, the walls began to rise. 

They were built of two materials. The first was, 
of course, that which tradition and the church's name 
prescribed: it was still to be the "Brick" Church. 
But in deference to the accepted fashion of that par- 
ticular time, referred to a few pages back, the base, 
the trimmings, and the greater part of the steeple, 
whose strong and graceful lines have made it ever 

* The session at this time were aroused to an increased interest in the 
music of the church. Possibly they felt that the trustees had too entire 
control of it. At any rate, mindful of "the sacred privilege and the appro- 
priate duty of the session to conduct that part of public worship which 
consists in praise to Almighty God," they now appointed a special com- 
mittee for this purpose. The committee's first task was to secure an 
organist, who was to receive a salary of $500 a year. 

t On May 18th, 1858, and from that time on, the architect's fees were 
paid to Mr. Griffith Thomas, who is subsequently referred to as " the archi- 
tect of the church." 



28G THE BRICK CHURCH 

since one of New York's noblest architectural monu- 
ments, were of brownstone. * The tower, from which 
the steeple rose, contained the old Beekman Street 
bell and a clock, f whose four faces told the time to 
the whole neighborhood. There were three main 
entrances to the building from Fifth Avenue, and 
high windows lighted the church, the vestibule, and 
the chapel, on either side. The style chosen for the 
architectural details was the somewhat late classic, 
and the design as a whole was simple and dignified. 
On both street and avenue the church was surrounded 
by a high iron fence with lamp-posts at the entrance 
gates. In short, without continuing further this 
description, it is enough to say that except for the 
stained glass in the windows and the vine which now 
covers the entire south wall and is making its way 
across the front, the exterior at the present day tells 
us precisely how it looked at the time of its erec- 
tion. J 

The same thing cannot be said of the inside of the 
building. The plaster walls were then almost white 
in color, and divided into rectangles to give the 
effect of courses of stone. The windows, filled with 
plain glass, were fitted with great folding shutters,^ 

* The tendency to scale of! which this stone developed in the moist 
climate of New York, has caused the repair of the steeple from time to 
time to be a very troublesome and costly operation. 

t The clock was ordered while the church was building, but it did not 
arrive until after the dedication. The gossip of the time gave out that, 
when installed, it would have "illuminated dials." See "The Presby- 
terian," November 6th, 1858. 

X In March, 1908, new clock faces of glass replaced the original wooden 
ones, of which one was blown down in a strong wind in the preceding fall. 

^ The writer well remembers with what interest, as a boy, he would 
watch the sexton manipulate them, if by some good fortune they needed 
readjustment during service. 



THE MOVE TO MURRAY HILL ^87 

while the ceiling, now so richly adorned, was then a 
perfectly plain white surface. Yet it is interesting to 
observe that those features of the newly completed 
interior which were selected for special mention by 
a contemporary journal * a week after the building 
was first opened to the public, are, with one exception, 
to be seen in the church to-day. The " Scagliola col- 
umns" still support the half dome of the apse behind 
the pulpit. t The floors of the vestibule, "laid 
with marble," have withstood admirably the tread 
of almost two generations (though at the pres- 
ent day of costly buildings their material would 
hardly be deemed worthy of any special admira- 
tion). The stairways to the galleries are still of 
the same "solid oak," of which they were con- 
structed in the beginning, and we hope that those 
who climb them still find that they "are of easy 
ascent." 

The one exception referred to a moment ago was 
perhaps the most magnificent object of which the new 
church could boast, the sole extravagance, one might 
say, in which the trustees had indulged. It was a 
huge brass chandelier of a hundred lights, which hung 
from the centre of the ceiling, and, except for a few 
single brackets under the gallery and two lamp- 
stands in the pulpit, lighted the entire church. It 
cost no less than $1,300. Its place now knows it no 
more. Long ago, no doubt, it was broken up and sold 
for old metal, but it was greatly admired when the 

* "The Presbyterian," November 6th, 1858. 

t Their position, however, was sHghtly changed a few years after the 
church was built. Originally the six columns were all at equal distances 
from one another. The reason for the change will be explained at the 
proper place. 



288 THE BRICK CHURCH 

new church was first opened and for many a year 
after. 

Three other features of the church need to be naen- 
tioned before the reader will be able adequately to 
picture to himself the original interior. First, the 
pews were painted white or cream-color and had 
the same mahogany trimmings that exist to-day, 
though now almost overlooked amid the generally 
dark tones that prevail. Secondly, the organ-loft had 
been placed at the west end, above and behind the 
pulpit. The marble columns in those days stood 
free, and through the openings between them one 
could look into the gallery, where the organ * had 
been erected, and from which the chorister led the con- 
gregation in the singing. Finally, as many people of 
the present day will remember, there were, in the 
east wall of the interior, over the central door, three 
niches. It was originally intended that all of these 
should be used, as the following action of the trustees 
informs us. At a meeting held the day before the 
church was dedicated, they resolved "that whenever 
the lady friends of the Rev. Dr. Spring shall procure 
a bust of his person, in bronze or marble, semi-co- 
lossal in size, and executed with artistic skill, the cen- 
tral niche in the inner front wall of the new Brick 
Church be, and is hereby appointed, to its reception, 
and the side niches to urns or vases as shall most 
appropriately embellish the same." The embellish- 
ing urns or vases were never introduced, and the bust 
of Dr. Spring did not take its place in the centre 
until after his death. 

If the interior of 1858, with its light color and 

♦ The organ was built by Mr. Richard Montgomery Ferris, for $2,300. 



THE MOVE TO MURRAY HILL 289 

severe simplicity, would seem strange to persons 
familiar with its present appearance, it seemed no 
less strange to the members of the old Brick Church, 
when they first entered it, for, aside from the most 
general resemblances to the older building in shape 
and arrangement, there were but two familiar objects 
in the whole church. As they came in at the central 
door they could see, on the left-hand wall of the ves- 
tibule, the old dedicatory tablet of black stone which 
had been removed to this place from the front of the 
downtown building, a visible memorial of the "Pres- 
byterian Church erected in the year of our Lord 
1767," * and when after entering the church itself, 
they had taken their seats and begun to look about 
them, there, in its familiar place, high on the wall 
above the pulpit, was the old white shield with its 
gilt letters, beloved by all the Brick Church people, 
still proclaiming that this house was "Holiness to the 
Lord." t 



* Opposite, on the right-hand wall was (and is) another tablet of the 
same style and material, bearing the inscription: 

THIS EDIFICE 

ERECTED 

In the Year of Our Lord 

1858. 

t See p. 133. Some other facts, which should not be altogether 
omitted may here be set down indiscriminately. At the west end of the 
church there were, on each side, above the entrances to the side galleries 
and just below the cornice, two smaller galleries which have been de- 
scribed as "the slave galleries," but they could hardly have been put to 
such a use in New York in 1858. They are now bricked up, so that they 
are no longer visible from the church, but the spaces still exist, and in one 
of them the old seats remained until a few years ago, when the room was 
fitted up as a robing-room for the choir. The p;ilpit of the church in 1858 



290 THE BRICK CHURCH 

When the church was complete, and ready for 
occupancy, one deHcate problem still remained to be 
solved. Those who had owned pews in the old 
building must in some just manner have their rights 
transferred to the new. At first it was hoped that in 
planning the uptown church the plan of pews might 
be made identical with that on Beekman Street, and 
the rights of the pew-owners simply transferred to 
new pews, exactly corresponding with the old ones. 
This, however, proved to be impracticable, and a 
more complicated method was adopted. First, 
$140,000, a figure somewhat arbitrarily fixed upon 
as the value of the pews in the old church, was ap- 
portioned among the said pews according to their 
size and location, and scrip for the proper amounts 
was issued to the owners. Second, minimum prices 
were assigned to the pews on Murray Hill.* And, 
third, the pews were put up at auction "in order," as 
the trustees somewhat naively remarked, "to give 



was furnished with an enormous sofa and two equally enormous arm- 
chairs. The coverings of these, and of the cushion on which the Bible 
rested, together with the valance which surrounded the marble-topped 
communion table, were of brilliant red damask. The carpet also, I believe 
was red. The chapel (and this name, by the way, was applied to the 
entire building in the rear of the church) contained on the first floor the 
lecture room, fitted up with pews like a little church. The square entrance 
hall was then open all the way up to the roof. On the second story were the 
pastor's study or "library," and the Sunday-school room. It had been 
proposed to place the Sunday-school in the basement, and possibly this 
was done for a time. The entire building, church and chapel together, 
cost about $150,000. (This was §125,000, more than had been expected at 
the out-set.) The furniture and carpets had co.st nearly $5,000. Including 
the land, therefore, the trustees had paid out about $2 1^,000. The pro- 
ceeds from the sale of the old site, with interest, provided 203,000, so 
that $10,000, had to be borrowed. Other needs increased this loan to 
$15,000. 

* The prices ranged from $150 to $1,500. 



THE MOVE TO MURRAY HILL 291 

every person an opportunity to locate according to 
his wishes." Before this plan had been entirely car- 
ried out, however, the church had been opened for 
public worship. 

And happy must the people have been as the time 
approached when they would once more have a 
church of their own. For more than two years they 
had been using Hope Chapel, maintaining there, as 
well as they could, their church life. * And, indeed 
they had succeeded nobly. This is suflSciently in- 
dicated by the mention of a single fact, namely, that 
it was at this very juncture, while they were strug- 
gling to reestablish their own organization on a new 
basis, that they found time and energy to go outside 
of their own immediate interests, in order to inaug- 
urate another work of the utmost importance. This 
refers to the opening of that Sunday-school on the 
west side of the city which has since developed into 
Christ Church ; but the complete story of that unsel- 
fish and most successful enterprise must be reserved 
for a future chapter. 

And now, at length, the time had come to take 
possession. The period of exile was over, or, since 
these pilgrims were not minded to return to the land 
from whence they had come out, we may rather say 
that their ship, which had left the old harbor and 
put to sea two years before, had at last been brought 



* Dr. Adams had " very kindly and cordially " offered the use of the 
Madison Square Presbyterian Church for the holding of the Communion 
Service on at least one occasion, and this was gratefully accepted. The 
trustees' meetings during the two years had been held in the directors' 
room of the Mechanics' Bank, the session meetings in the pastor's temporary 
study. 



292 THE BRICK CHURCH 

in safety to her desired haven. On October 31st, 
1858, the church on Murray Hill was dedicated to 
the worship of Almighty God. * 

* From contemporary newspapers and other periodicals, the following 
account of this event has been compiled. The people, assembled by the 
same bell that had " sounded the call to worship for so many years in the 
old church," came together in great numbers. When the service began 
" an immense crowd filled the spacious edifice, even to the aisles and por- 
tals." Ex-President Filhnore and his wife were observed to be among the 
congregation. The service was, of course, conducted by Dr. Spring, "the 
venerable pastor, who seems yet to retain a large portion of the vigor of 
his younger days." The order of service was as follows: 

1. Opening Prayer. 

2. Psalm (sung by the congregation), 

" Where shall we go to see and find 
A habitation for our God." 

3. Prayer. 

4. Psalm 132. 

6. Collection, "A Thank Offering, for the benefit of the Princeton 
Students." 

6. Sermon, on "The Sanctuary," from the text Leviticus 19 : 30. (It 

" held the unwearied attention of the audience for an hour and 
a half.") 

7. The Dedication (the people standing). 

8. Hymn. 

9. Benediction. 

" Fifth Avenue was completely blocked with carriages for a long time 
after the close of the services." Afternoon and evening services were also 
held, Dr. Samuel Spring of East Hartford officiating at the one, and Dr. 
PhilUps of New York at the other. See "N. Y. Tribune," "N. Y. Evening 
Post," and "N. Y. Times" for November 1st, 1858, and "The Pres- 
b>i;erian" for November 6th. 



CHAPTER XVII 

WORK RESUMED: THE CIVIL WAR: 

1858-1863 

" We enter upon our new career under few circumstances of discouragement and 
many of bright anticipation. ... In the name of the Lord, therefore, we set 
up our banners. It is an eventful age of the world in which our enterprise receives 
this new impulse." — Gardiner Spring, 1858, " The Brick Church Memorial," pp. 74 f. 

"Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for 
all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." — Matthew 24 : 6. 

THE members of the Brick Church had not 
waited for the new building to be ready be- 
fore they began to revive the work which was 
to occupy it. At least one discontinued enterprise 
had been zealously taken up again as soon as the 
new site had been purchased, and even before the 
plans for the new church had been fairly begun. 
This was the Sunday-school. At the call of Dr. 
Spring, eighteen persons came together in Hope 
Chapel on a Sunday afternoon in November, 1856, 
"to organize a Sabbath-school which should be con- 
nected with the Brick Church and located for the 
present at the Hope Chapel." One of the first acts of 
the teachers, after the school had been started, was 
to inquire whether during the interval the old title, 
"School No. 3," had been assigned to any other in- 
stitution. If not, they voted to reassume it. We do 
not know whether they were successful, for this is 
the last time that the old name appears in the records, 

293 



294 THE BRICK CHURCH 

But the school itself, at any rate, was reestablished, 
ready for the new opportunity that was about to open, 
and on the day of the new church's dedication, the 
first service was that of the Sunday-school, which, at 
quarter after nine assembled in its own room in the 
chapel in the rear of the church. The immediate 
renewal of this important department of church 
work was certainly an auspicious opening, and indi- 
cated that the people were eager to regain as soon as 
possible whatever ground had been lost. 

As soon as the church was established on Murray 
Hill, preparations were made to take stock, as it 
were, of the congregation, and to exploit the neigh- 
borhood. Districts were laid out for visitation by 
the pastor and elders, and we still possess a copy of a 
printed street-plan which was used to facilitate this 
work. It represents the section between Thirty-sixth 
and Fortieth streets and between Sixth and Lexing- 
ton avenues, divided up into sixty visitation districts. 
Dr. Spring, in his dedication sermon, had called 
attention to the fact that no other churches had lo- 
cated in the immediate neighborhood, * so that there 
was a free field for the Brick Church to work in, and 
he declared also that the surrounding population 
had already shown a disposition to receive the 
church in a most friendly spirit. Many, indeed, of 
those who were now neighbors, had in former days 
attended the old Brick Church, and these welcomed 
the opportunity of restoring the old relationship. 

* The Madison Square Church had been built on Twenty-fourth Street 
in 1854 and the "Marble" Dutch t'hurcli at Fifth Avenue and Twenty- 
ninth Street in the same year. There were less important churches at 
Eighth Avenue and Thirty-fourth Street, Broadway and Thirty-ninth 
Street, and Lexington Avenue and Thirtieth Street. 



WORK RESUMED: CIVIL WAR 295 

For all reasons, therefore, it was desirable that a 
very patient and thorough visitation of the whole 
region should be made, and this the session now 
undertook. 

But this very undertaking must have brought forci- 
bly home to them a truth long evident to all, that 
their pastor, now over seventy years of age, was ill 
able to do the full work of a city pastorate, and least 
of all, to break ground in a new field. Indeed, there 
was already an understanding between them that as 
soon as the new church was complete, steps should 
be taken to lift a part of the burden from his shoul- 
ders. 

As early as 1848, it had been necessary to provide 
a considerable amount of pulpit assistance. The 
sum of $1,000, was then put at the disposal of the 
session for this purpose, and this act was repeated 
three years later. But some months before the de- 
parture from Beekman Street it became evident that 
a more radical change was necessary. The situation 
was one that the ojSicers desired to treat with the 
greatest delicacy, not wishing to seem in any way im- 
patient of the growing infirmities of their beloved 
pastor; and we may well believe that he, for his part, 
lover of the church as he was, and of his work in it, 
was reluctant to begin the laying aside of the powers 
and responsibilities he had borne so long. 

The letter which he wrote to his elders in October, 
1855, is, therefore, touched with that inevitable pathos 
of the old workman who is conscious of the coming 
night. "It must be quite as obvious to you as to my- 
self," he said, "that I am not able to discharge the 
duties of my office to any such extent as satisfies my 



296 THE BRICK CHURCH 

own mind. Though my health is vigorous and my 
courage for hibor undiminished, the calamity * with 
which it has pleased a wise and righteous Providence 
to visit me, unfits me for the toil in which it has been 
my privilege to be so long employed." But aside 
from this special affliction, his age itself, as he said 
later in this same letter, made some decided assist- 
ance an immediate necessity. He made several sug- 
gestions as to the means of providing this, evidently 
thinking himself that the best plan of all would be to 
call a colleague; and in this the session concurred, 
but upon full consideration of pastor and session to- 
gether, it seemed so difficult to secure a proper per- 
son for this office while the church was still strug- 
gling for the sale of one property and the purchase of 
another, that delay was decided upon, until the new 
land should be secured. 

As a matter of fact, the church, as we have seen, 
was already at work on Murray Hill, before any 
active measures were taken for calling a colleague. 
For the first few months in the new church the Sun- 
day afternoon service was supplied by students from 
Princeton Seminary. But finally in March, 1859, 
a call was issued to the Rev. \Yilliam James Hoge, 
D.D., Professor of Biblical Literature in Union 
Theological Seminary in Virginia. Dr. Spring and 
two of the elders had gone to Virginia expressly to 
see him, and had returned with the report that, in 
their opinion, "the intellectual, religious, and social 
qualifications of this gentleman, as well as his public 
performances in the pulpit, are such as in no ordi- 
nary degree (jualify him to become the associate 

* Hie failing eyesight. 




WILLIAM J. HOGE 



WORK RESUMED: CIVIL WAR 297 

pastor of the Brick Church." He had been licensed 
to preach in 1850, and, previous to entering his pro- 
fessorship, had been for four years pastor of the West- 
minster Church in Baltimore, where his former pa- 
rishioners regarded him with high esteem. The call 
now issued to him by the Brick Church was unan- 



imous. 



* 



It must be confessed that in accepting, as he did. 
Dr. Hoge was undertaking a difl&cult work, which 
would require not only high talents and great indus- 
try, but an unusual degree of tact and Christian 
grace. Dr. Spring and his people had worked to- 
gether, without any other person between them, for 
almost half a century, and it was only with the ut- 
most reluctance on both sides, and in answer to an 
imperative necessity, that the expedient of a col- 
league had been adopted. At the congregational 
meeting which called Dr. Hoge, a set of resolutions, 
offered by Mr. Holden, was adopted, in which were 
feelingly expressed the love of the Brick Church 
people for Dr. Spring, their sense of obligation to 
him for past service, their ever-increasing apprecia- 
tion of "his richly matured and invaluable instruc- 
tions," their joy that, though " his eye is dimmed by 
excessive devotion to his chosen work," yet "his 
natural force and mental vigor are not abated," 
and their assurance that "it will always be our 
pleasure and anxious desire to hear him preach once 
every Sabbath and to render such other assistance at 
our weekly evening services as may be agreeable to 
his own feelings and wishes." It would almost have 
seemed to an onlooker at the meeting that it had 

* His salary was $5,000, the same as that received by Dr. Spring. 



298 THE BRICK CHURCH 

been assembled with special reference to the old 
rather than to the new pastor. 

But both pastor and people had determined that 
the newcomer should be given all the help that could 
be conveyed by a hearty and affectionate welcome, 
and Dr. Spring, especially, had determined that his 
young colleague should be as free as was possible 
from the difficulties inherent in the situation. Those 
who were present on the evening when Dr. Hoge 
was installed in the Brick Church * were much im- 
pressed by the generous spirit in which the venerable 
Dr. Spring said of his youthful associate, "He must 
increase, but I must decrease. My sun is setting; 
his has not yet reached its zenith." "And when,'* 
says one of the eye-witnesses, "the senior pastor 
stopped in his discourse, and took his associate by the 
hand, assuring him of the cordiality of his welcome 
to take part in the work, there were few dry eyes in 
the house. Such scenes are rare," this writer con- 
tinues, and points out that all the circumstances of 
the occasion were such as could only be produced by 
great personal qualities in the chief participants. f 

The Brick Church had not been mistaken in re- 
gard to the man they had chosen. His "lovely 
Christian character and thrilling pulpit eloquence," 
to quote the words in which one of his successors in 
the Brick Church has referred to him, J soon won 



♦May 22d, 1859. The Rev. F. G. Clarke presided as moderator of 
the Presbytery. The Rev. S. D. Ale.xander offered prayer. Dr. Spring 
preached the sermon. The charges to pastor and people were given by the 
Rev. Dr. Krebs and the Rev. Dr. Potts, respectively. The Rev. Dr. Phillips 
offered the concluding prayer. 

t "The Presbyterian," May 28th, 1859. 

X Dr. Henry van Dyke "An Historic Church," p. 23. 



WORK RESUMED: CIVIL WAR 299 

him a place in the people's affection and drew great 
numbers to hear him preach. He delivered the gos- 
pel message with all the fire and passion of the 
Southland, from which he came, and soon the younger 
generation, who naturally did not share all the en- 
thusiasm of their parents and grandparents re- 
garding Dr. Spring, were again thronging the Brick 
Church. 

Certainly a church that could thus appeal to all 
ages and varying tastes was well calculated to do a 
great work. Dr. Spring in 1860, at the time of his 
fiftieth anniversary, which was celebrated with great 
enthusiasm,* declared that the church's change of 
locality had resulted in great gain; and spoke with 
gratitude and joy of the fact that the services in the 
new edifice were *' filled to overflowing." A study of 
the benevolences of the church at this time tells the 
same story and with a most decided emphasis. It 
will be remembered that for a number of years before 
1850 the average annual benevolences had amounted 
to a little over $3,000. The highest figure for any 
single year up to that time had been about $5,800. 
Until 1860, this figure had not been exceeded. But 
in that year, it suddenly rose to $8,500, and from 
this time continued to rise by leaps and bounds, year 
after year.f 

* The anniversary sermon was preached by Dr. Spring on August 5th. 
Owing to the illness of Mrs. Spring at that time and her death soon after, 
the rest of the celebration was deferred till October 15th. On that occa- 
sion a magnificent silver service was presented to Dr. Spring, while the 
words spoken by his oldest and dearest friends in the Brick Church were 
a still richer expression of esteem and love. 

1 1861, $9,300; 1862, $9,600; 1863, $14,600; 1864, $14,700; 1865, 
$19,200. This increase was partly due to growing interest in the mission 
Sunday-school to be described in the next chapter. 



300 THE BRICK CHURCH 

One evidence of the church's increased activity is 
directly traceable to the influence of Dr. Hoge. It 
has already been pointed out that his great oppor- 
tunity was with the younger people. It was surely 
by no accident, therefore, that "The Young Men's 
Association of the Brick Church" was organized 
during the first year of his pastorate.* It is easy to 
believe that the following words from the preamble 
of the society's constitution were suggested by Dr. 
Hoge himself, and that they represented with some 
exactness a chief purpose of his own New York min- 
istry. *'The disciple who leaned on Jesus' bosom 
once said, ' I write unto you, young men, because ye 
are strong.' It is to the young men . . . that [our 
churches] must look as the future depositories of 
that Christian and moral influence which is to pro- 
tect and advance the highest interests of the church 
and the world." 

It was, accordingly, the purpose of this organiza- 
tion to draw together as many as possible of the 
young men of the Brick Church, from fifteen years 
old and upward, into a comradeship whose objects 
were "to promote Christian friendship and social 
intercourse among its members, to improve their 
spiritual and mental conditions, and to take such 
measures for benevolent action as may be deemed 
proper, especially such as will tend to exert a salu- 
tary influence in the neighborhood of the church." 
The regular meetings were held on the second Mon- 
day of each month (except July and August), and no 

* The constitution was adopted on February 27th, 1S60. The officers 
for 1860-1861 were: Pres., George de Forest Lord; Vice-Pres., Robert 
Stewart, M.D.; Sec, Arthur Gilman: Trcas., William D. Black; Mana- 
gers, George A. Bennett, Charles T. White, Thomas C. M. Paton. 



WORK RESUMED: CIVIL WAR 301 

special regulations were made as to their nature, ex- 
cept for the provision that '*all remarks or discus- 
sions of a political or controversial character shall be 
excluded." 

When we remember in what year of our American 
history this society was formed, the year namely, In 
which Abraham Lincoln was first elected to the 
Presidency, we perceive a very special appropriate- 
ness in that one restriction just quoted, and when we 
realize further that Dr. Hoge was a Southerner, we 
can see that *' political and controversial" subjects 
were especially dangerous to the peace of the Young 
Men's Association. But more than that, they were 
a danger, we may readily believe, to the peace of the 
whole church. How had It happened that on the 
very eve of the war a Virginian had deliberately been 
installed over the Brick Church in the city of New 
York ? 

We cannot but regard this occurrence as the result 
of a serious error in judgment on the part of the 
church and its officers, and of a singular lack of 
foresight. Dr. Hoge, on the other hand, urged to 
come to a great church in America's greatest city, 
was more pardonable. And yet upon him, of course, 
the chief punishment for the mistake fell. Some of 
the very qualities that made him eloquent, the quali- 
ties of a sensitive and high-strung nature, made him 
also the more quick to suffer from any of the thou- 
sand bitter words that filled the air in those days of 
controversy; while to avoid giving offence, on his 
side, required perhaps more tact than any ordinary 
man was likely to possess, and it must be confessed 
that tact was not his strong point. 



302 THE BRICK CHURCH 

In 1861, when war had actually broken out, the 
situation soon became acute. Dr. Hoge had many 
warm friends in the church, men who, although, as 
he himself declared, they totally differed from him 
in everything relating to the national crisis, believed 
that he was following a wise and blameless course,* 
and were "unwilling to allow a dissolution of the 
pastoral relation on grounds of political opinions." 
Such prominent officers in the church as Daniel 
Lord, Abner L. Ely, Moses Allen, James Darrach, 
and Thomas Egleston, held this view of the matter. 
On the other hand, the preponderant element in the 
church felt that the situation was intolerable, and 
that the presence of an avowed Southerner in the 
Brick Church pulpit could not but cause continual 
and increasing friction, however careful he might be 
to avoid in his public utterances all controverted 
subjects. 

The ideal of conduct which Dr. Hoge had set be- 
fore himself was in theory admirable. f On the one 
hand, he assumed that as a free citizen of the Re- 
public he had an unquestionable right "firmly to 
hold and calmly to express," in private, his opinions. 
His position, to be sure, required him to declare them 
"unobtrusively," and sometimes to waive conversa- 
tion on such topics, but " when fairly approached by 
any responsible person" in private conversation, he 
claimed his right to make known "frankly and cour- 
teously" his political faith. 

On the other hand, he purposed to exclude abso- 
lutely from the pulpit the questions that divided 

♦ "Farewell Discourse of Dr. Hoge," p. 8. 

t The following outline is taken from his " Farewell Discourse," pp. 9/7- 



WORK RESUMED: CIVIL WAR 303 

men's minds. His prayers he designed to make of 
such a character as would express the proper peti- 
tions of men in South or North, and his sermons he 
undertook to keep entirely out of the realm of poli- 
tics. Indeed, he held, and had held even before the 
war, that the rigid exclusion of politics from Chris- 
tian preaching was the duty of every minister of the 
gospel, even if he and his congregation were in agree- 
ment on every point. 

In much of this, without doubt. Dr. Hoge was in 
the abstract quite right. But whether his plan fitted 
exactly the existing situation, or would work among 
ordinary human beings at a time of heated excite- 
ment, was another matter. The practical question 
was whether a man whose approval of secession was 
well known, could be listened to with composure by 
a Northern congregation week after week; whether 
he could go in and out as pastor among a people to 
whom he was a "rebel"; whether the studied avoid- 
ance of direct allusions to the war in prayer and dis- 
course would really keep the services free from all 
political significance, so long as the minister stood 
there as a personal representative of the enemy. 

One concrete instance may be given by way of 
illustration. In the petitions for those in places of 
authority. Dr. Hoge had used such expressions as 
would include (of course without mentioning them) 
the rulers of the Confederate States. Now without 
doubt, such obedience to the apostolic exhortation 
that "supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giv- 
ing of thanks, be made for all men," is, as Dr. Hoge 
declared, in full accord with the truest Christian spirit. 
In every Christian Church in time of war the enemy 



304 THE BRICK CHURCH 

ought certainly to be prayed for. But for a South- 
erner, who frankly hoped that the North would be 
annihilated, to lead a Northern congregation in ask- 
ing, however vaguely, for a blessing upon the rulers 
and fighters of the South, was, not unnaturally, a little 
more than average Northerners could stand. 

At length in July, 1861, a meeting of the session 
was called for the declared purpose of discussing 
*'the relations of the church and its pastors to the 
present state of the country." But Dr. Hoge felt 
that the time for discussion was over, and as soon as 
the meeting opened, he offered his resignation. It 
was accepted by a bare majority. 

Dr. Hoge, as was very natural, felt some bitterness 
toward those who had plainly desired him to leave. 
The unfortunate tone of sarcasm and accusation in 
which he allowed himself, in public utterance and in 
print, to speak of them * makes this evident. And 
not a few of the cong-regation were inclined to feel 
that his personal qualities and his work in New 
York had not been fully recognized. On the day 
after that on which his resignation had been accepted 
by the session, a number of them expressed in writ- 
ing to Dr. Hoge their sorrow at his parting from 
them, and their veneration for his consistent preach- 
ing of the gospel, and for the Christian moderation 
and gentleness of his bearing " in the midst of angry, 
political excitements." Yet it must in time have be- 
come evident to his most warm admirers, and indeed 
to Dr. Hoge himself, that his position in the church 
at such a juncture was unnatural, and could not pos- 
sibly have long continued. 

♦ "Farewell Discourse," pp. 7 /., 24. 



WORK RESUMED: CIVIL WAR 305 

At the time when the resignation was accepted, 
the session voted to submit their action to a congre- 
gational meeting one week from that day. But for 
this Dr. Hoge refused to wait. On the intervening 
Sunday he preached a farewell sermon to a congre- 
gation in which the tension was extreme. One inci- 
dent of the occasion was especially significant of the 
irreconcilable differences which no attempt at fair- 
ness of statement could overcome. While the sermon 
was being delivered Dr. Spring sat in the pulpit. 
Dr. Hoge, at the close of a passage in which he had 
spoken of recent events in the country and the 
church, turned to Dr. Spring and said: "I appeal to 
my venerable colleague whether this is not in sub- 
stance correct." Dr. Spring shook his head in the 
negative, and in a decisive tone, loud enough to be 
heard by many in the church, declared, "It is noU 
Sir."* The truth was, no doubt, that a Southerner 
and a Northerner at that time inevitably saw the same 
events with different eyes. 

Early in the following week, and before the arrival 
of the day set for the congregational meeting. Dr. 
Hoge took his departure, and thus passed out of the 
history of the Brick Church. He was soon at work 
again in a Virginian parish, and now threw himself, 
untrammelled, into the work that opened for him 
there on every side, exhibiting that Christian zeal 
and devotion which had always characterized him. 
The truth was, that when he went back to the South, 
he went to lay down his life for that Southern cause 
in which he conscientiously believed. Almost a year 

* This scene has been described to the writer by an eye-witness. See 
also "N. Y. Tribune," July 23d, 1861. 



306 THE BRICK CHURCH 

before the war was over his labors in the army hos- 
pitals, added to his work among the people of his 
parish, had worn out even so robust a frame as his, 
and made him an easy prey to the typhoid fever 
which then attacked him. He died on July 5th, 1864. 

From the time of Dr. Hoge's departure, the Brick 
Church stood, without reservation, for loyalty to the 
Union, and that in no uncertain manner. Dr. Spring 
did not at all agree with the view that at that time 
the pulpit should hold aloof from the discussion of 
current politics. Rather he held that the national 
situation was such as to demand from the Christian 
Church a strong and unmistakable declaration of its 
attitude. 

He was not, it should be said, one of those who, 
from the beginning, had bitterly opposed the policy 
of the South. He said himself: "When the first in- 
dications of this conflict made their appearance, all 
my prepossessions, as is well known, were with the 
Southern States."* As early as 1839, and again in 
1851, he had delivered and published lectures de- 
signed to rebuke the extreme abolition spirit of the 
North, and even a short time before the war, he was 
strongly drawn to espouse the Southern cause, 
through his horror of a dismemberment of the Union. 
Slavery, he felt, was recognized by the Constitution 
of the United States, and the rights of the South in 
this matter could not be ignored, however much 
slavery itself might deserve extinction. It was only 
when he became convinced of what he regarded as a 
wicked and determined disloyalty in the South, and 

♦"State Thanksgiving during the Rebellion; A Sermon." N. Y., 
1862, p. 32. 



WORK RESUMED: CIVIL WAR 307 

especially when the seceding States had actually 
broken the Union, that his sympathy for the South- 
ern position came to an end. 

It was not, therefore, because he was carried away 
by excess of passion that, after the war's beginning, 
he gave himself, in private and in public, in the pul- 
pit and out of it, to the support of the government, 
but because he felt that loyalty had been made the 
issue, and that the church ought openly and officially, 
to withstand the destroyers of the nation, as they 
would withstand any other enemies of public morals. 
" Strong as have been my predilections for the South," 
he said, " ... I have not been able to see, nor do I 
now see, the justice, the equity of her demands. We 
regard the act of secession, so causeless, so rash, so 
fratricidal, so ruthless — as unequalled in wickedness. 
I do not know that the history of the world records 
a more criminal procedure." * 

In May, 1861, at the General Assembly, then con- 
vened in Philadelphia, Dr. Spring introduced and 
urged certain resolutions, declaring the loyalty of the 
Presbyterian Church, which were, with slight modi- 
fications, passed by a large majority. The part of 
these "Spring Resolutions," as they were called, 
which now especially concerns us was as follows: 
"Resolved, that the General Assembly, in the spirit 
of that Christian patriotism which the Scriptures en- 
join, and which has always characterized this Church, 
do humbly acknowledge and declare our obligations 
to promote and perpetuate, so far as in us lies, the in- 
tegrity of these tlnited States, and to strengthen, up- 
hold, and encourage the Federal Government in the 

* "State Thanksgiving," etc., pp. 34 /. 



308 THE BRICK CHURCH 

exercise of all its functions under our Constitution; 
and to this Constitution, in all its provisions, require- 
ments, and principles, we profess our unabated loy- 
alty." * 

By this declaration, which Dr. Spring had led the 
Church at large to make, the Brick Church was 
guided throughout the war. The stars and stripes 
flew from her steeple. The sermons to which her 
congregations reverently listened were filled with the 
love of country as with the love of God. The prayers 
in which the people were led, from Sunday to Sunday, 
asked in all plainness that the endeavors of the 
national enemy might be brought to nought. 

We who live so long after that tragic conflict, and 
who, with the disappearance of old prejudices, know 
now that honor and truth and love of country were 
by no means the exclusive possession of one side, do 
not care to dwell more than is necessary upon that 
period of division and bitter strife ; and it is more con- 
genial to us to note, as we may, in concluding the 
account of the attitude of the Brick Church through 
the war, that even in the heat of those passions which 
war inevitably arouses, the Brick Church people were 
not permitted to forget the bond of Christian brother- 
hood which bound them to the people of the South- 
ern States. "We reluctantly take up the sword in 
defence of the rich heritage God has given us," said 
Dr. Spring in the Brick Church pulpit in November, 
1861, "and most cheerfully will we return it to its 
scabbard when this heritage is secure. ... It will be 

* Dr. Hoge did not resign till two months after these resolutions were 
passed. Their effect upon his continuance in the Brick Church pastorate 
will be evident. 



WORK RESUMED: CIVIL WAR 309 

the joy of our hearts and the thank-offering of our 
Hps to sound the retreat the moment the voice of re- 
belHon is silent. We have no bitterness against the 
South. We do not wish to reign over them, but to 
reign with them, and wish them to reign with us, as 
they have ever done, in all the rights and immunities 
of the Federal Government." * 

While the war was in progress the church had 
once more called and, to the great regret of all, lost 
again, an associate pastor. On February 6th, 1862, 
the Rev. William G. T. Shedd, Professor of Ecclesi- 
astical History and Pastoral Theology in Andover 
Seminary, was unanimously called to be the col- 
league of Dr. Spring. Dr. Shedd hesitated not a 
little to change his field of labor from that of teach- 
ing, in which he had been engaged for seventeen 
years, to that of the active pastorate; and probably, 
had it not been that the call also offered him an op- 
portunity to enter the Presbyterian Church, whose 
doctrine and polity were peculiarly congenial to him, 
he might not have accepted. At length, however, his 
duty in the matter seemed to him clear, and he en- 
tered with gladness into the service of the people of 
the Brick Church, and into the close fellowship which 
it offered with "their revered pastor, whose praise 
and influence," as Dr. Shedd said, "are in all the 
churches." f 

It was a remarkable fact that Dr. Spring, though 
so far advanced in years, was still able to carry a very 
large part of the burden of the church's work. But 
Dr. Shedd had not long been settled in New York 

* "State Thanksgiving," etc., p. 42. 

t The installation took place on April 13th, 1862. 



310 THE BRICK CHURCH 

when it appeared that the senior pastor must with- 
draw largely from active service. Upon the associate, 
therefore, the responsibility fell more and more 
heavily, and toward the close of 1863 it became evi- 
dent that soon he must bear the whole burden alone. 
This sudden increase of demand upon his strength 
Dr. Shedd had not anticipated, and his health began 
to break down under it, so that when in September, 
1863, he received a call to the chair of Biblical Liter- 
ature in Union Theological Seminary in New York, 
he felt constrained to accept it. 

The church allowed him to go with the greatest 
reluctance. He was most affectionately regarded by 
the people and by his senior colleague. His brief 
work in the church was felt to be "eminently useful 
and acceptable," and had given to all " encouragement 
and hope for the future." If at the last moment he 
had been willing to remain, his decision would have 
been hailed with joy, and such assistance would have 
been given him in his work as would have freed him 
from all anxieties on the score of overtaxing his 
strength. But Dr. Shedd persisted in his decision, 
and his subsequent life abundantly proved that in 
returning to the work of a teacher and a writer, he 
was following the natural bent of his genius. It was 
a happy circumstance that, after leaving the pastor- 
ate of the Brick Church, he continued his allegiance 
to her as an attendant upon her services until the 
time of his death.* 

The choice of a successor to Dr. Shedd was de- 

* In November, 1894. He had continued as Professor in Union Semi- 
nary until 1891, but had been transferred to the chair of Systematic The- 
ology in 1874. 




WILLIAM G. T. SHEDD 



WORK RESUMED: CIVIL WAR 311 

layed for some time through the failure of the church, 
on two occasions, to secure the persons whom they 
desired to call, and the year 1864 had almost come 
to a close before this important undertaking was 
accomplished. 



PART THREE 
THE MODERN PERIOD 



CHAPTER XVIII 

"THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH": 1864-1875 

"Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare; be- 
fore they spring forth I tell you of them." — Isaiah 42 : 9 /. 

" It is the duty of those who'have anything to do with sacred song, to educate 
the Christian popular heart in the very best and highest forms of devotional ex- 
perience." — James O. Murray, "Christian Hymnology," p. 37. 

ON December 12th, 1864, the church called to 
be its associate pastor the Rev. James Orms- 
bee Murray, who, ten years before had been 
one of Dr. Shedd's pupils at Andover, and was now 
recommended to the church by him. Although osten- 
sibly his position was the same as that held by Dr. 
Hoge and Dr. Shedd before him, the conditions under 
which he entered upon his pastorate were in one 
respect essentially different. Dr. Spring had now so 
far withdrawn from active work that his associate 
became in everything but name the sole pastor of 
the church. 

Six months before Dr. Murray was called. Dr. 
Spring had communicated to his people the fact that 
"by reason of his age and increased infirmities" he 
felt unable to continue even so great a measure of 
service as he was then rendering. The name *' pastor 
emeritus" was not used, but the understanding was 
that he should now be retired on a reduced salary of 

315 



316 THE BRICK CHURCH 

$3,000, and that the associate, about to be called, 
should assume practically the whole burden of labor 
and responsibility. 

During the eight remaining years of Dr. Spring's 
life it was his joy to take such part in the services of 
the church as his strength permitted, and to his old 
parishioners the sight of his venerable head and the 
sound of his voice seemed like a benediction upon 
the church's work. By the thoughtfulness of the 
trustees a railing was erected beside the steps at the 
right-hand side of the pulpit in order that he might 
ascend and descend in safety. He was now almost 
totally blind, yet so richly was his memory stored, 
that he could, if there were need, conduct an entire 
service, repeating the Scripture lesson and the words 
of the hymns with as much accuracy as though he 
were reading them from the book. Not only by 
his own congregation — the grandchildren and great 
grandchildren of the generation among whom he had 
begun his work — but also by the whole city, the 
presence of this aged saint was counted a blessing: 
"the patriarch of our metropolitan pulpit," Dr. 
Adams called him. 

It was regarded by every one as a peculiarly happy 
thing that Dr. Spring lived long enough, not only to 
see, but to take some part in, that reunion of the Old 
and New Schools for which he had long been hoping 
and praying. It will be remembered that in 1837 he 
had been one of those who deeply deplored the divi- 
sion, and that he had done his best to prevent it. 
Thirty-two years later, in 1809, he rejoiced in the 
coming together again of the two schools in a reunited 
Church. The Assemblies that year, with a special 



*'THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH" 317 

view to facilitating this happy consummation, were 
both held in New York and within four blocks of 
one another, that of the New School at the Church 
of the Covenant at Park Avenue and Thirty-fifth 
Street, since incorporated into the Brick Church, 
and that of the Old School at the Brick Church 
itself. 

In spite of the strong movement toward reunion, 
which had been gathering strength for several years, 
there was at the last moment a feeling on the part 
of many that the attempt was, after all, premature. 
Dr. Spring, eighty-four years of age, and knowing 
that his time on earth could not be greatly prolonged, 
was one of those who would not listen to the word 
delay. At the opening of the Old School Assembly, 
sitting in the pulpit beside the presiding oflficer, he 
suggested to him the propriety, as the first business, 
"of notifying the other branch of our readiness to 
consummate the reunion immediately." This did 
not at the moment appear to be practicable, and 
Dr. Spring, called upon to make the opening prayer, 
felt that there was still work to be done by him in his 
Master's vineyard. "When this majestic and veter- 
an pastor . . . rose in prayer," says Dr. Jacobus 
in the official history of the reunion, "he uttered 
such exalted petitions, in such glowing and godly 
words, as even he, perhaps, had never excelled." * 

In the course of the succeeding debates and con- 
ferences, Dr. Spring's voice was still heard. He 
urged that any delay in the consummation would be 
"flying in the face of the prayers of God's people." 
"If you postpone this union another year," said he, 

* "The Presbyterian Reunion." N. Y., 1870., p. 334. 



318 THE BRICK CHURCH 

"I shall probably not see it, but shall die a member 
of a divided Church." * As is well known, his fears, 
so feelingly expressed, were not to be realized, and 
meantime, on Friday, May 28th, at the joint Com- 
munion Service in which the members of the two 
Assemblies shared, he, with the two moderators, 
officiated at the table. "It was," says the historian, 
*'as if Moses or Elias had come down to talk on that 
Transfiguration Mount, of the decease accomplished 
at Jerusalem." f 

After sharing in this historic event Dr. Spring 
might well feel that his work was accomplished. 
"The closing years of his life," wrote Dr. Murray, 
"were marked by what he himself used to call 'a 
gentle decay.' It was, indeed, very gentle. His fac- 
ulties were clear, his interest in things about him 
keen, his enjoyment of life healthy and true, almost 
to the very close." 

Of the days just before the end there is but a 
single incident that need be here repeated. We are 
told that during those last days he was never tired of 
hearing what he called the bairns' hymns, and it was 
a striking illustration, says Dr. Murray, of how the 
mightiest disciple must enter the kingdom of God 
only as a little child, to hear the old man, lying like 
an aged patriarch in the midst of his household, re- 
peat in broken accents the children's prayer, "Now 
I lay me down to sleep," adding at the end, as though 
the words had carried him back to his childhood 
days, "and make me a good boy, for Christ's sake. 
Amen." On the 18th of August, 1873, he died. He 



♦ "The Presbyterian Reunion," p. 349. 
t Ibid., p. 300. 



"THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH" 319 

had been the pastor of the Brick Church for sixty- 
three years.* 

Mr. Murray, who came to take up the work of the 
church as Dr. Spring was laying it down, was in the 
prime of Hfe, and was fitted in an exceptional degree 
for the ofiice upon which he now entered, f He had 
graduated with honors from Brown University in 
1850, and had at that time already become known 
for his Christian character and his scholarly taste 
and attainments. He had especially devoted him- 
self to the study of English literature and throughout 
his whole later life he was distinguished for '*the true 
literary spirit" with which he was imbued. 

The next period of his life, spent at Andover in his 
theological preparation, is admirably described by 
one of his classmates, Charles Tiffany, afterward 
Archdeacon of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. 
*'Mr. Murray at Andover," wrote Dr. Tiffany, 
"showed as a student just the same qualities which 
made him eflBcient and beloved in his later career. 
He was faithful in his work and commanded respect 

* Although he received several calls to other spheres of work, he never 
seriously contemplated any change. During his early ministry he was 
offered the presidency of both Dartmouth and Hamilton colleges, and later 
he was sought as teacher of Sacred Rhetoric in Princeton Theological 
Seminary. Even in 1865, eight years before his death, there remained alive 
but four persons who had been members of the church at the time of his 
call. He had, in one instance, baptized the great-great-grandchild of one 
of those early parishioners. New York's population during his pastorate 
had increased from something under a hundred thousand to more than a 
million. So far back in our national history did his memory reach that he 
coxild say, " I well remember the day when Washington died." "Life and 
Times," Vol. II, pp. 212, 282 /. 

t He was born November 27th, 1827. On his father's side his ancestors 
were Presbyterians and Episcopalians, and partly of Scotch stock (the 
Murrays), partly of English, settled in Ireland, (the Syngs). On his 
mother's side his blood was wholly English and Puritan. 



320 THE BRICK CHURCH 

as a scholar; and his literary felicity, even at that 
early period of his life, made a marked impression on 
all who heard him in his addresses in the chapel and 
on other semi-public occasions. Every one proph- 
esied for him a future of eminence and distinguished 
usefulness. Those who were privileged, as I was, to 
be of the number of his intimate friends felt the spell 
of his charming and genial personality, and loved 
him as much as they respected and admired him. 
His religious character was too deep to be ostenta- 
tious, but it was manifest in his profound earnestness 
and in a high tone of thought and simplicity of ex- 
pression which marked his intercourse with others. 
He was so genuinely human and so unconsciously true 
and spiritual that one knew he would reach men 
and elevate them by merely being what he was. . . . 
His humor added a glow to his more solid qualities, 
and his refinement of nature gave him the distinction 
and influence so commanding in a genuine gentle- 
man. He belonged to the very elect both by nature 
and by grace." * Such, even in his seminary days, 
was he who, after two Massachusetts pastorates, f 
was called to the Brick Church in 1864. His ten- 
year pastorate in New York will be described in this 
chapter and the next. 

It was characteristic of the man and a sign of the 
beginning of what may be called the modern period 
of the history of the Brick Church, that Mr. Murray 
early gave his attention to the improvement of the 

* From a letter quoted in "James O. Murray: a Memorial Sermon." 
By John DeWitt, Princeton, 1899, pp. 23 /. 

t In South Uanvers, near Salem (1854-1861), and in Cambridgeport 
(18G1-18G4), where many students of the University were drawn to hie 
servicea. 




JAMES O. MURRAY 



"THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH" S21 

music of the church services. Already, as we have 
seen, the changed spirit of the times had caused the 
introduction of the pipe organ, but the singing was 
still led by the chorister, and, with the removal from 
the old site, even the volunteer choir had evidently 
been discontinued. No doubt the cono^regation were 
ready to welcome a change in these conditions, but 
there had been lacking some one in authority who 
was in sympathy with the more modern taste, and 
willing to exert himself in an endeavor to satisfy it. 
Mr. Murray was both able and ready to undertake 
this work. 

He had not long been in the church when he was 
asked to become chairman of the session's music 
committee, and the attempt to improve the quality of 
the music, evidenced by a decided increase in the 
chorister's salary at this time, was no doubt the im- 
mediate result of his influence.* 

These changes, however, were merely preliminary 
to another of much more importance. In April, 
1866, the committee on music reported to the session 
that upon inquiry a very general desire had been 
found among the congregation for *'a change in the 
present method of conducting the singing," by sub- 
stituting for the precentor or chorister "a choir of at 
least four voices." It was not intended, they said, 
that "congregational singing should be superseded 
by the performances of a quartette, but only that the 
choir should lead the congregation in the service of 
song in the house of the Lord." 

* It now became a part of the chorister's duty to sing at the meeting on 
Tuesday evenings. In 1872 a small pipe organ was erected in the lecture 
room. 



322 THE BRICK CHURCH 

*'In the judgment of some of our best professional 
musicians," the report continues, "the only method 
of maintaining congregational singing successfully is 
by putting it under the guidance and assistance of a 
choir of voices, where all the parts are represented; 
and the musical education of many among us, es- 
pecially the young, as also the musical tastes of the 
community, are such that the change suggested is 
thought to be needful in order to make them inter- 
ested worshippers in this most delightful part of our 
worship of God. In the case of persons seeking a 
new place of worship, an attractive form of church 
music is often a controlling element in their choice." 
The committee were of the opinion that any addi- 
tional expense, entailed by the proposed change, 
would without difficulty be met by means of private 
subscription. 

The proposal involved, as it happened, something 
more than the hiring of a quartette. No proper place 
had been provided in the new church for a choir, 
even of four voices, and it was at first thought that 
the best way of dealing with this difficulty would be 
to open an entirely new gallery under the tower at the 
east end of the church. But Mr. Thomas, the archi- 
tect, recommended a less costly change, by which the 
gallery behind the pulpit might still be utilized. 
Under his supervision the columns, whose arrange- 
ment had interfered with that gallery's use, were now 
moved to their present positions, providing a clear 
space of ten feet in the centre.* Here it was 
designed that the quartette should stand, while the 
organ, considerably enlarged,! was moved back as 

* Seep. 287, note, f Itwaa reconstructed by Mr. William J. Stewart. 



"THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH" 323 

far as was necessary, a certain portion of the room 
in the rear being appropriated for this purpose.* 
When these structural changes had been made, a 
quartette f was engaged and a new era in the history 
of worship in the Brick Church was begun. The 
trustees had dealt with the matter in a generous 
spirit and provided out of the church treasury the 
additional sum which the change involved. The 
music, which had been costing $1,400, now called 
for $2,500. 

The next musical problem to which Dr. | Murray 
gave his attention was the providing of a suitable 
hymn-book. Already the volume entitled *' Songs for 
the Sanctuary" had been purchased, in 1866, for use 
at the weekly meetings, but to find a satisfactory 
book for the use of the Sunday services was a matter 
much more difficult, and in November, 1867, the 
session decided to undertake the preparation of a 
hymn-book of their own, which should include a se- 
lection *' as well from the psalms and hymns of Watts 
as from all other published hymns." This task was 
entrusted to Mr. William S. Oilman, Mr. Daniel 
Lord, and Dr. Murray.^ 

The report of this committee, at the time when the 



* A wall was built ninning west from the north end of the organ loft 
and cutting off entirely the whole southern end of the room in the rear, 
then used for the Sunday-school. It was necessary, in consequence, that 
the Sunday-school be moved to the third story, where it was held for a 
number of years. 

t This first quartette was composed as foUows: Miss Kellogg, soprano; 
Miss Gordon, alto; Mr. Emerson, bass; Mr. Millard, tenor. 

X He received his Doctor's degree in 1867. 

$ Mr. Lord, whose "discriminating taste and excellent judgment" 
were highly prized, died before the book was complete. Dr. Spring made 
the selection of metrical versions of the Psalms. 



324 THE BRICK CHURCH 

completed manuscript was submitted to the session, 
may be regarded as a part, not only of the history of 
the Brick Church, but of the history of hymnology 
in the Church at large. For two years, the report tells 
us, the committee had devoted itself to the work of 
making a select list of hymns from American and 
English publications, with a view to securing *'the 
best hymns upon the various topics." During this 
time weekly meetings had been held, at which the 
hymns were discussed one by one, while the consid- 
erable literature on the subject, "on which," they 
say, "more has probably been printed during the 
past ten years than for a generation preceding," was 
thoroughly canvassed. 

The aim pursued had been to select hymns "which 
show forth the praises of God and the glories of his 
attributes in the glowing language of the emotions," 
such hymns as "appeared best to express Scripture 
truths regardino; man's lost estate and the means of 
his recovery through Christ," and to be most "ex- 
pressive of the warmest love and nearness to God. . . 
the most fervent zeal, and the most touching and com- 
forting religious experience." 

In pursuing this purpose the committee had "cast 
aside a large mass of mediocre hymns," * and had 
chosen in their place "those which in Watts, Steele, 
Wesley, Doddridge, Toplady and some more modern 
writers prove themselves the offspring of deep re- 
ligious convictions based upon a sound and true 

* They add, however: "Your committee has not hesitated to retain 
some hymns apparently subject to criticism by a cultivated taste, but 
which, by general consent of Christians, appear to be of such merit as to 
defy ordinary rules of criticism. Among such we regard Newton's "Tis 
a point I long to know,' and ' I asked the Lord that I might grow in grace.' " 



"THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH" 325 

theology." On the other hand, they had added a 
large number of valuable hymns which were not to 
be found in the General Assembly's book* nor in 
''Watts and Select," f the book which the church 
was at that time using. The result was a collection 
of six hundred and sixteen psalms and hymns, of 
such a character that the committee believed no other 
recent compilation for congregational use was "more 
rigidly confined to the productions of the great hymn 
writers," or more free from the second-rate material 
by which in recent years the hymnology of the church 
had been debased. 

The book was rendered still more valuable by the 
inclusion in it of certain of the ancient hymns of the 
Church, such as the "Gloria in Excelsis" and the 
"Te Deum," $ also a selection of other chants, es- 
pecially from the Psalms, and a collection of sacred 

* "As a sample we name the following, namely: by Toplady, 'When lan- 
guor and disease invade'; by Charles Wesley, 'Soldiers of Christ, arise'; 
by Needham, 'Rise, O my soul, pursue the path'; by Cowper, 'The bil- 
lows swell, the winds are high'; by Montgomery, 'Prayer is the soul's sin- 
cere desire.'" Committee's report. 

t "As a sample we name the following, namely: by Doddridge, 'How 
gentle God's commands'; by the same, 'My gracious Lord, I own thy 
right'; by Tate and Brady, 'As pants the hart for cooUng streams'; by 
Doddridge, 'Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve'; by Cowper, 'Jesus, 
where'er thy people meet'; by Wesley, 'Come, O thou Traveller un- 
known'; by Gerhardt, 'O Sacred Head, now wounded'; by Charlotte 
EUiot, 'Just as I am, without one plea'; by Mrs. Adams, 'Nearer, my God, 
to thee'; by Henry Francis Lyte, 'Abide with me, fast falls the eventide'; 
by an unknown author, 'Ye Christian heralds, go proclaim.'" Commit- 
tee's report. 

t The committee quote with approval the opinion of Dr. Hamilton 
"that in churches where the Apostles' or Nicene Creed is not audibly re- 
peated by the congregation, great advantage is derived from confessing 
with the mouth the doctrine of our holy faith in song, especially in this 
chant [the Te Deum] which was praised by Luther as a good symbol not 
less than a perfect hymn." 



326 THE BRICK CHURCH 

lyrics,* which, although from their nature unfitted for 
congregational singing, "are exceedingly profitable 
in private devotions and are calculated greatly to 
benefit young persons in the family, cultivating in 
them a taste for the very best order of religious 
verse." 

In November, 1869, the book was published under 
the title, "The Sacrifice of Praise." It was at once 
introduced into the church, and with its aid the regular 
committee on music, with Dr. Murray still at the 
head, took up their w^ork again with renewed interest, 
and especially directed their attention to the devel- 
opment of the congregational singing to the fullest 
possible extent, t 

In raising additional subscriptions for the music, 
the committee proved themselves equally zealous, 
and for several years, they thus provided about 
$1,400, for by this time the annual cost of the music 
had come to be nearly $4,000. 

The singing was by no means the only element of 
public w^orship that engaged the attention of the ses- 
sion at this time. Indeed, in 1870, a committee was 
appointed to consider whether in general there were 
any changes that ought to be introduced into the 
manner of conducting the services in the Brick 
Church. We do not know what proposals they 
may have made, except that at the suggestion of 
their chairman the gown, which had been worn 

* "Exquisite gems such as Wesley's 'Wrestling Jacob,' and Montgom- 
ery's 'Poor wayfaring man of grief,' and Keble's celebrated hymn on com- 
plete resignation to God." Committee's report. 

t We learn that besides the congregational singing of psalms and 
hymns there was now an "opening piece," sung presumably by the choir 
alone. 



"THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH" 327 

by the minister in Dr. Rodgers' day, but had been 
disused during Dr. Spring's pastorate, was now re- 
sumed. We may, perhaps, infer from this that their 
recommendations were in the direction of an in- 
creased orderliness and dignity in the worship of the 
church. It should be added that the manner of cele- 
brating the Lord's Supper * was, during Dr. Mur- 
ray's pastorate, given careful consideration. f 

It was during this period, moreover, that certain 
changes were made in the number of the services and 
meetings and in the time at which they were held, by 
which some of the customs, still prevailing at the 
present day, were originated. Thus the change of 
the hour of Sunday morning service to eleven o'clock 
was first broached in 1873, "for the accommodation 
of families with children, Sunday-school teachers and 
scholars, persons living at a distance from the 
church, and the many others whose convenience would 
be promoted by the change." Earlier than this a 
more radical departure from established custom had 
been introduced: in 1866, the weekly lecture, which 
was at that time held on Tuesday evening, was tem- 
porarily discontinued, "with a view to increasing the 
interest and attendance at the weekly prayer and 
conference meeting on Friday evening." J A year 
later the holding of but a single meeting between 
Sundays was still further established as the accepted 
custom — it consisted of "a brief lecture connected 

* After 1865, this Sacrament was administered five instead of four 
times yearly. 

t See Appendix V, p. 543. For order of Baptismal service at this time 
see Appendix U, p. 542. 

t Although the nights had been changed, these were, it will be ob- 
served, the same two week-day services as were held in Dr. Rodgers' time. 



328 THE BRICK CHURCH 

with a prayer-meeting, to continue for one hour and 
a quarter," * — and by 1869, when the meeting was 
held, as at present, on Wednesday evening, it was 
referred to as "the weekly church meeting," as though 
a second week-day service were not so much as 
thought of. 

Among the changes which during Dr. Murray's 
pastorate marked the beginning of the present era, 
one of the most important concerned the activities 
then commenced among the women of the congrega- 
tion. In Christian work of every sort the part played 
to-day by the women of our churches is so important 
that we find it difficult to conceive what the condi- 
tions would be, were they to become inactive. Yet it 
must be remembered that this great importance of 
women's work is a very modern development. When 
Dr. Murray came to the Brick Church the women had 
only begun to discover their powers, but before his 
departure their work had assumed definite shape 
and had already acquired a place of unquestionable 
prominence and practical value in the church's pro- 
gramme. 

Long before this time women had, of course, been 
active in Sunday-school work and their benevolent 
impulses had no doubt found abundant expression 
in personal charities, and to some extent in money- 
raising auxiliaries of the prominent missionary and 
benevolent organizations of the church at large, f 

* It was held on Tuesdays that year. 

t A " Female Auxiliary Tract Association of the Brick Church," for 
example, had been in existence before tlie middle of the century. The 
account book of the treasurer of this organization for the years 1837 to 
186), is preserved in the church archives. Its subscription lists constitute 
an interesting roll of the givers and workers among the Brick Church 
women for that period. 



"THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH" 329 

but for women alone the only distinctive organized 
work in the Brick Church had been a struggling little 
"Dorcas Society," concerning which but few facts 
have come down to us. We do not even know when 
it was founded. Its chief purpose, as its name im- 
plies, was to provide garments for the poor ; but occa- 
sionally, we are told, it also superintended the sending 
of a home missionary box. Aside from these scanty 
facts, the only thing we know about the Dorcas So- 
ciety is connected with the burning of Dr. Hoge's 
house one night in February, 1860. 

It seems that on that occasion the entire clothing of 
Dr. Hoge's family was either burnt, or spoiled by the 
water used in extinguishing the fire, so that the chil- 
dren were forced to stay in bed till clothes could be 
borrowed for them from the neighbors. But the 
Dorcas Society came to the rescue. The members 
were promptly called together and worked to such 
good purpose that by Sunday the minister's family 
had all been refitted and could appear in church 
with new clothes of their own. * 

In January, 1869, some of those who had been 
active in this society decided that, by adopting a 
somewhat different plan of work, they could accom- 
plish a great deal more good. If, instead of making 
with their own hands the garments to be given away 
in charity, they employed for that purpose poor 
women who needed work and especially work that 
could be done at home, it was evident that the value 
of the benevolence would be doubled. This plan was 
already in use in a society in the Marble Collegiate 

* These facts are taken from a letter written by Miss Sophia Ely in 
1902. 



330 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Church on Twenty-ninth Street, and the women of 
the Brick Church now adopted it, forming for that 
purpose what has ever since been known as the Em- 
ployment Society.* For some time the old Dorcas 
Society continued its work in cooperation with the 
newer organization. The latest mention of it was 
in April, 1871. 

The work of the Employment Society, which was 
carefully systematized, is worthy of being described 
in some detail. The first necessity was to secure 
capital for running the business — for "business" is 
the proper word to use: the society was really en- 
gaged in a small way in the manufacture and sale of 
clothing. The needed capital was provided by an- 
nual subscriptions from the members, by donations, 
and, after the work had been started, by the proceeds 
of the sales. 

A certain portion of the money was then expended 
for materials, and the records show that the buying 
committee were constantly on the alert to lay in their 
supply when prices were most favorable. The rest 
of the money was set aside for the payment of the 
women employed to do the sewing. 

Meantime the garments must be cut out, and for 
this purpose the cutting committee met in the 

* The following were the members whose names appear in the records 
of the first year: Mrs. Barbour, Beebe, Blakeman, Bonnett, Brown, 
Buchan, Buchanan, Burr, Church, Clark, Comstock, Corning, Downer, 
Dunning, Oilman, Ilolbrook, Holden, Lathrop, Morgan, Murray, Odcll, 
Paton, Shedd, Stafford, Talmage, Tucker, Watson, White; Misses Bon- 
nett, Donaldson, Houghton, Lord, Parish, Phelps, Smith, Vernon, Vose. 
To Mrs. W. G. T. Shedd, who was first directress for several years from 
the time of the society's organization, much of the success of the society 
was due. The minutes of the board of managers from the begimiing till 
the present time have been carefully preserved. 



"THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH" 331 

church rooms on Friday mornings, while many of the 
members continued this work at home between the 
meetings. Frequently from three to four hundred 
garments would be cut in a single month. 

The employment of women to do the sewing was 
managed by a system of "permits." Each annual 
subscriber had the privilege of sending, in the course 
of a season, a certain number of applicants. If the 
subscriber's recommendation and her guarantee of 
the return of the materials were satisfactory, a permit 
was issued which entitled the applicant to receive 
work from the distributing committee. When fin- 
ished, the work was brought back and submitted for 
inspection. Here was encountered one of the chief 
difficulties: the women were often found to be far 
from skilful with their needles. Various expedi- 
ents for solving the problem thus created were pro- 
posed from time to time, such as, the absolute 
refusal of work to persons not competent; the re- 
quirement that work be done over when not satis- 
factory; the imposing of some sort of penalty upon 
the sewer or upon the subscriber who had recom- 
mended her; or the offering of some sort of reward, 
especially the promise of double the amount of work, 
to those whose work was well done. But the happiest 
expedient attempted was one which responded to the 
need by introducing, in addition to the society's des- 
ignated work of "employment," some features prop- 
erly belonging to a sewing-school. 

A concrete instance may be given. At a meeting 
in January, 1871, the subject of poor sewing "was 
enlarged upon," the minutes tell us, and in the course 
of the discussion "one girl was alluded to as a great 



332 THE BRICK CHURCH 

object of charity, but a very poor sewer." There- 
upon, the record continues, "Mrs. Odell cut the dis- 
cussion short by kindly offering to give her instruc- 
tion in her own house, to see if she showed any 
disposition to improve under proper teaching." It is 
pleasant to read in the minutes of the next meeting 
that Mrs. Odell's pupil already showed "decided 
improvement." 

When the garments had been completed and the 
women paid for their work, the next problem was to 
dispose of the finished product. Occasionally, when 
a large stock had accumulated, donations were made 
to the Dorcas Society or other similar organizations, 
but for the most part the goods were sold. The prices 
were adjusted in accordance with a double standard: 
members of the society and their friends paid the 
full, or nearly the full, cost of materials and making; 
while to the poor and to charitable societies garments 
were sold at a small percentage of the cost-price. 

In order to give some conception of the amount of 
work accomplished by this useful organization, the 
results of a single season chosen at random, that of 
1871-1872, may be noted. Including the work done 
by the members during the summer months two 
thousand and ninety garments were cut out, and by 
the end of the season all but one hundred and eight 
of these had been finished. The sewers, who ranged 
from forty to seventy in number, had been paid 
$911.25. Garments sold had brought in nearly $900, 
and over $400 had been received in subscriptions 
and donations. As the years passed all these figures 
were materially increased. 

Out of the Employment Society there grew another 



"THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH" 333 

organization. In order to follow up, in a more dis- 
tinctly personal and religious way, the work which 
the society was doing, a Bible reader, or visitor, had 
been employed, Miss Margaret Griffiths, whose duty 
it was to visit among the poor women of the mission. 
In the course of her visitations Miss Griffiths found 
a great many sick children whose need appealed to 
her most strongly, and to the women of the Brick 
Church, also, when she brought her report to them. 

The proposition was made that the Brick Church 
children be organized to meet this emergency, under 
the direction, of course, of their elders. The result 
was the Children's Society, which flourished for 
many years, and did an excellent work, not only for 
the sick children on the west side, but also for the 
boys and girls of the Brick Church, whom it trained 
in Christian service.* 

At the meetings of the society the girls were set to 
work at making simple children's garments, and the 
boys, who are, it must be confessed, somewhat hard 
to make useful under such circumstances, were fain 
to be content with making scrap-books. Besides this, 
a good deal of money was raised, and with it a work 
begun which was destined to extend far beyond the 
sphere to which it was originally limited. We shall 
in a subsequent chapter have a glimpse of the Chil- 
dren's Society during the next pastorate, and at a still 
later time shall learn how, in dying, it gave birth to 
another organization which remains and works to 
the present day. 

* The originators of this plan were Mrs. Norman White and Mrs. James 
O. Murray. Others who aided them were Mrs. Alexander McLean, Miss 
Mary M. Roberts, Mrs. John E. Parsons, Mrs. W. G. T. Shedd and Miss 
Houghton. 



334 THE BRICK CHURCH 

In this account of the activities of Dr. Murray's 
pastorate, which mark the beginning of the present 
era, we come finally to the benevolences, which, with 
the ffrowine: wealth of the time had so increased in 
amount as to render the old schedules quite inade- 
quate, and which were now reorganized on a modern 
basis. The five annual offerings arranged in 1838 
had, with some changes in the objects, continued un- 
til 18G4, when a sixth offering was added; but two 
years later the number was increased to nine, and in 
1870 there were ten stated objects of Brick Church 
benevolence.* Except for the division of some of 
these into two or more, and the addition of two 
others,! the present schedule is practically the same. 

In 1871, in response to a recommendation of the 
Presbytery, an entirely different system was tempor- 
arily adopted, the so-called "plan of weekly giving," 
by which the members were invited to pledge a stated 
sum for each Sunday throughout the year, the entire 
amount so received being then apportioned by the 
session among the various causes. For a time the 
results of this change were highly satisfactory. In 
October, 1872, for example, it was reported that "the 
aggregate contril)iitions for the past year have con- 
siderably exceeded those of the preceding one, al- 
thouo;h the new svstem was not inaujjurated until the 
middle of December." But at the end of four years' 
time, when the excellence of novelty had worn off, it 

* These were, Church Erection, N. Y. Bible Society, Brick Church Mis- 
sion, Board of Freednicn, Domestic Missions, Board of Eilucation, For- 
eign Missions, Aged and Infirm Clergy Fund, City Missions, Board of Pub- 
lication. These offerings were taken on the third Sunday of each month 
except July and August. 

t For Hospitals and Church Federation. 



"THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH" 335 

was felt that for the Brick Church the old arrange- 
ment was, on the whole, more successful, and the 
schedule of ten specific annual collections was re- 
sumed. 

The spirit in which the church at this time ap- 
proached this whole subject of giving is well illus- 
trated by the brief address on the subject of " Chris- 
tian Beneficence" which the session prepared in 1865 
and published in the "catalogues" of the congrega- 
tion for 1866 and subsequent years. In this little 
publication, it may be added, no other department of 
the church's life, except the duty of Christian disci- 
pleship as a whole, was given so much space. 

"That our prosperity as a church," the session 
declare, "is closely connected with the use of prop- 
erty for religious objects, is apparent from the Word 
of God. As an explanation of our frequent public 
contributions in the church, members are here re- 
minded of first principles made known in the Script- 
ures." 

They then proceed to show that the religion of 
the Old Testament was inseparably connected with 
"statedly recurring tithes and offerings, so that no 
conscientious Hebrew could fulfil the duties of the 
sanctuary without necessarily becoming a systematic 
giver"; that the prophetic teaching of later Israel 
was no less emphatic on this subject; that "the pre- 
cepts and example of the Saviour confirmed all previ- 
ous teaching as to the importance of alms-giving, 
and gave assurance of great spiritual benefit result- 
ing therefrom," and finally that "apostolic authority 
enjoins Christian liberality as a grace in which 
Christians were to abound." 



S36 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Therefore, they conclude, " regarding alms-giving 
as an imperative Christian duty, an exalted Christian 
privilege, a means of grace, and an act of worship, 
the session of the Brick Church recommend all its 
members to accord to Christian beneficence a high 
place in their Christian life, and to see that it be un- 
ostentatious, cheerful, systematic and prayerful." 

That this appeal of the session to the spirit of gen- 
erous giving in the people met with a large response, 
the statistics of the offerings for these years plainly 
testify. Though not so eloquent, in the form of ex- 
pression, as the words of the church officers just 
quoted, the figures reported by the treasurer from 
year to year did certainly possess a certain eloquence 
of their own. In 1865, the people had given about 
$19,000, a very large figure, it was thought at the time, 
and more than twice as much as had ever been given 
in any one year up to three years previous. But in 
1866, the next year, the people of the Brick Church 
gave $61,550. The special work * which caused 
such an amazing increase at this time will form the 
subject of the next chapter, and for the present it is 
necessary only to notice the amount contributed. 
The next year, when the same special demand con- 
tinued, the contributions reached almost the same 
figure, amounting to over $59,000. This was re- 
markable enough, but when, after the special need 
of those two years has been met and left behind, the 
offerings continue, in 1868 and 1869, to aggregate as 
much or more, we become aware of a new standard 
of giving adopted by the people of the Brick Church. 

*The building of the Brick Church Mission on West Thirty-fifth 
Street. 



'*THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH" 337 

After that there was, indeed, some falling off, but 
even so, there was no return to the old low figure of 
1865. The congregation had learned how much 
they could give, if they chose, and were plainly dis- 
posed to take a large part in the religious and philan- 
thropic work of their day. 



CHAPTER XIX 

A WIDER HORIZON: 1857-1875 

" When I ceased my active connection with the mission, I felt, and I had occa- 
sion frequently to say, that I looked upon the twenty years of my service there as 
the most profitable of any work in wliich I had been engaged. I doubt if there is 
any work in this city which bears larger or more satisfactory fruit than this." — 
John E. Parson.s, from an address in "The Story of the Christ Church Work," pp. 
43/. 

"Behold, I have set before thee an open door." — Revelation 3 : 8. 

OF all that was accomplished during Dr. Mur- 
ray's pastorate nothing can be compared in 
importance with the opening in 18G7, of the 
Brick Church Mission Chapel. The work for which 
this building was provided has already been several 
times alluded to in this history, for it had been started 
ten years before the date just mentioned. We must 
now turn back to trace its progress through those 
earlier years. It is fortunately possible to tell the 
story almost entirely in the words of those who were 
themselves the foremost workers in the enterprise. * 

* An address of Mr. John E. Parsons, first superintendent of the Brick 
Churcli Branch Sunday-school, dcUvered November 27th, 1905, and pub- 
lished in "The Story of the Christ Church Work," N. Y., 1906. Also a 
minute of the Brick Church session in 1866, on the origin of the mission, 
printed in tlie same pamphlet. It was signed by Dr. Murray as pastor, 
Mr. John E. Par.son.s, whose controlling influence in the work will be made 
abundantly evident in the succwding narrative, and Mr. George de Forest 
Lord, another devoted lalxirer in the school " who taught the b<iy's Bible 
class," says Mr. Parsons, " I think down to the time of his death, certainly 
down to the time when I ceased to be superintendent [1S77], and toward 
whom, during all liis life, I entertained feelings of the warmest and most 
alTectionate regard." 

338 



A WIDER HORIZON S39 

*'In the winter of 1857-1858," we are told — and we 
should remember that the present Brick Church was 
not then completed, "by a simultaneous impulse, 
two enterprises, one at No. 654 Sixth Avenue and the 
other at No. 1272 Broadway, were started for the 
purpose of furnishing religious instruction on the 
Sabbath to the children and young persons of the 
destitute section of the city lying to the westward of 
the Sixth Avenue. The former was principally sus- 
tained by members of [the] Brick Church and of the 
church at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Nineteenth 
Street, * while the latter owed its origin mainly to 
persons connected with the Scotch Presbyterian 
Church, f though each extended an earnest invitation 
for aid to all those connected with the churches in the 
upper part of the city who felt a desire to assist in 
the Master's work. A description of the origin of one 
will explain the origin of both. It was in literal obe- 
dience to the injunction, 'Go out into the highways 
and hedges and compel them to come in, that my 
house may be filled.'" J 

"In October, 1857, six or eight young men, with 
more faith and fervor than financial strength, were 
impelled to start in this part of the city a mission 
school. . . . On a bright Sunday afternoon one of the 
number took his place at the head of the stairs, 
while the others went out to bring in boys from the 
street. First came one, then a second, then two or 
three more. Then there was a rush, and the room 
was taken possession of by a considerable number of 

* The present Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church. 

t Then in Fourteenth Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. 

X "Session Minutes." 



840 THE BRICK CHURCH 

the young roughs of the neighborhood. They had 
been found phiying ball,* had accepted an invitation, 
with the idea that more amusement might be afforded 
in the school than in the street, and they, with the 
others wlio had preceded them, formed the nucleus 
of what later on was to become the Brick Church 
Mission. 

*'They very c^uickly discovered that an essential 
feature of the fun was to obey orders. The first les- 
son on that line was taught that afternoon. It was 
followed up on succeeding Sundays, until there was 
established as a characteristic of the school . . . 
absolute good order." f 

"The twin movements continued separate until 
the spring of 1859, [when] it was deemed by those 
having them in charge (they happening to be on 
terms of personal friendship) desirable to coalesce. 
The large hall | at the north-east corner of Broadway 
and Thirty-second Street was accordingly engaged, 
and there, on a pleasant Sunday morning in the 
month of ]\Iarch, 1859, teachers and scholars met." § 
From the time of this union two sessions of the 
school were held each Sunday, one in the morning, 
the other in the afternoon. Thus the children were 
fully provided for. 

But it was soon found that another class of people 
had been drawn within reach of the influence of the 
work, for which the school did not provide at all. 

* "And finally a company of boys found j)layinK at ball, who at once 
contributed some fifteen or twenty hardened little Sabbath-breukere." 
"Session Minutes." 

t Narrative of Mr. Parsons. 

X On the third story. 

$ "Session Minutes." 



A WIDER HORIZON 341 

These were "the parents and adult friends of the 
children." So good an opportunity as this, for en- 
larging the scope of the enterprise, was not to be lost, 
and accordingly "the services of a faithful mission- 
ary," the Rev. John Kimball,* "were secured, and in 
the succeeding winter [1859-1860], a church service 
on Sunday afternoons f was started." | 

It will be observed that during all this time the 
work was entirely independent, connected neither 
with the Brick Church nor with any other, except 
through the individual church members who carried 



it on and contributed to its support. The Brick 
Church provided such devoted workers as Mr. 
Thomas CM. Paton and Mr. A. Gifford Agnew, 
but the superintendent, Mr. John E. Parsons, though 
in later years so closely identified with the Brick 
Church, was then a member of the Scotch Church, 
and it was from two of his fellow-members there that 
a considerable part of the money for the school's sup- 
port during its early years was derived. Mr. Parsons 
himself tells us in a peculiarly interesting manner 
how this came about. 

"I received one day," he says, "a note from a 
member [of the Scotch Church] asking me to call. 
I did so. He began to speak about the school, and 
asked how we proposed to meet its expenses. In the 

* See Appendix Q, p. 535. 

t "Ab the child is father to the man, so the school was parent to the 
church. The need of a congregation for adult worshippers became appar- 
ent as soon as the school was fairly started. Some assembly for worship 
must be available for parents interested in the work through their children, 
some household of faith into which scholars could be received when they 
were ready to make their personal profession of the religion of Jesus." The 
Rev. James M. Farr in "The Story of the Christ Church Work." p. 16. 

X "Session Minutes." 



342 THE BRICK CHURCH 

enthusiasm of youth I expressed strong confidence 
that what we could not do ourselves would in some 
way be provided, we did not know exactly how or 
from what source. He asked what our rent then 
was, I told him $600 a year. He said he thought 
that would be about his share. And he went on to say 
that (although he would make no promise for the 
future), until I received notice to the contrary, I 
would, on the first of every month, receive his check 
for $50. 

"^Yithin a year or two he died. Not long subse- 
quently I received a line from his brother asking me 
to call. I called. He told me that in looking over his 
brother's accounts and papers, he found that once a 
month I was receiving this payment of $50. He asked 
me to explain what it was for. I did so. In almost 
the same w'ords which had been used by his brother, 
he said that (although he would make no promise for 
the future), until I learned to the contrary I would 
receive on the first of every month, toward the ex- 
penses of the school, his check for $50, and for a year 
or more it was sent. I refer to this, not only because 
it shows how was justified the trust in Providence 
upon which we had relied, but particularly because 
Mr. Samuel Cochran and Mr. Thomas Cochran, the 
two brothers, were the great uncles of ^Ir. William 
D. Barbour, and it was not long after this that there 
began Mr. Barbour's connection with the school 
which, to its very great benefit, has lasted down to 
the present time." 

And here it is pleasant to record that three others 
among the present workers in this school, the Misses 
Hatfield and their sister, Mrs. Alexander McLean, 



A WIDER HORIZON 343 

have served for a term of years only slightly shorter 
than that of Mr. Barbour. They entered the work 
in 1864 and 1865, and it would be hard to estimate 
the value of their devoted service in the more than 
forty years that have since passed. 

But to return to the progress of the work: at the 
same time that the school was showing a tendency, 
as has been related, to grow beyond itself into a 
church, its own members were rapidly increasing, so 
that larger quarters, especially for the accommodation 
of " a numerously attended infant class," * were found 
to be necessary. In response to this demand "the 
three upper stories of the building No. 1285 Broad- 
way" were obtained, and thither the mission moved 
in the month of April, 1860.t 

"The standing of the school was by this time 
assured. There had gathered together a large corps 
of teachers, all young, all personal friends, and 
all devoted to their work. There had become es- 
tablished the morning Sunday-school service, pre- 
ceded by a short prayer-meeting, the afternoon Sun- 
day-school service, succeeded by periodical teach- 
ers' meetings, a Wednesday-evening service, and, 
with the assistance of students from Union Seminary, 
a preaching service," J on Sunday evenings. "The 
enterprise as thus constituted continued until Novem- 
ber, 1862, without special church connection, and 
sustained by the voluntary efforts of those engaged 
in it." § 

* "Session Minutes." 

t Between Thirty-fourth and Thirty-fifth streets, where the store of 
R. H. Macy and Co. now stands. 
X Narrative of Mr. Parsons. 
§ "Session Minutes." 



344 THE BRICK CHURCH 

''At this time there was being agitated in the 
Brick Church the question of establishing a mission 
school of its own. It meant," says ]\Ir. Parsons, 
"that there would be withdrawn from our school a 
considerable number of valuable teachers, male and 
female. It meant that there might be two weak mis- 
sions in near competition, instead of one strong mis- 
sion." The result was an invitation to ^Nlr. Parsons' 
school to become the mission of the Brick Church. 

This plan had, indeed, been under consideration 
for some time, ^nd the church had more than once 
extended this invitation in an informal way; but in 
1862, the matter was taken up with a more definite 
purpose, and in November of that year the Brick 
Church oSicially assumed charge of the enterprise. 
The relation thus established was well defined in the 
following minute prepared by Mr. Daniel Lord and 
adopted by the session in April, 1863: "The session, 
having: had in consideration the relation of the mis- 
sion school lately patronized by the congregation, 
express their view of that relation as follows: That 
by their pastors, elders, and other officers of this 
church they will foster and favor it in every way, 
and will favor its aid and support by the contribu- 
tions -of the people. They will visit it, or see to its 
visitation by proper officers and delegates, and will 
generally supervise and promote its welfare. That 
the session, on the other hand, expect that their 
counsels and advice will be deferred to, and that be- 
tween the school and those engaged in its manage- 
ment and government, and the pastors, elders, dea- 
cons, and members of the church, a cordial, active, 
and hearty cooperation will be kept up." 



A WIDER HORIZON 345 

During the first half year of this most profitable 
and providential union the Brick Church people gave 
to the work of the mission $1,195,* a true prophecy 
of the constant and generous support of later years. 
Immediately the second story of the building which 
adjoined the one already occupied was secured, and 
"the division wall sufficiently removed to make one 
larger room." Had it not been that the Civil War, 
which was at this time raging, checked the advance 
of every sort of aggressive enterprise, the mission 
would no doubt have been provided almost at once 
with a building of its own. That it was worthy of 
such accommodation had soon become evident to all. 
The work was, in truth, growing in all directions. 
The Saturday morning sewing-school, which was to 
become an important institution, was started at this 
time. A children's prayer-meeting, and, a little 
later, a reading-room and library for adults were 
other new features. But especially the development 
toward a church, to be the centre and focus of the 
whole work, had become very marked. Mr. Kirn- 
ball, the first missionary, had been succeeded, in 
1862, by the Rev. A. E. Rulifson, and he, two years 
later, tW the Rev. Govello B. Bell. By this time 
Sunday services were held in the morning as well as 
in the evening, and in 1865 it was proposed that the 
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper should be celebrated 
at the mission on the evening of the same day on 
which it was celebrated in the Brick Church, one of 



*The average annual contribution for the first seven years was 

$4,194.00. 

t In the interval between these two, the Rev. Mr. Tait preached for 

a few months. 



346 THE BRICK CHURCH 

the pastors of the Brick Church and the missionary 
oflSciating. 

Of course, under the conditions then existing, all 
who, through the work done at the mission, were led 
to a personal acceptance of Christianity, became 
members of the Brick Church, and made their public 
profession there; and until this time it had been 
necessary for all such persons to go to the Brick 
Church in order to receive the Communion. But the 
session, when the matter was brought to their atten- 
tion by Mr. Bell, now decided * that there were con- 
vincintj reasons for makine; a change. It was thouo:ht 
that the people of the mission, coming to the Brick 
Church for Communion only, felt themselves in some 
degree to be outsiders and strangers at a service 
where such a feeling was peculiarly unfortunate, that 
possibly some were actually deterred from becoming 
professed Christians because of these conditions, and 
that the effect upon the regular worshippers at the 
mission, of having the ordinance administered there, 
could not but be good. This important step toward 
the transformation of the mission into a church was 
accordingly taken. 

In the winter of 1865-1866, the most pressing 
problem connected with the work advanced toward 
its solution. At that time "the great and general 
prosperity which followed the close of the war, 
afforded the hope that success might attend an effort 
on the part of the Brick Church to erect a building 
for its mission, and for the accommodation of the 
various services which had grown about it." | A 

* In June, 1865. 

t "Session Minutes." 



A WIDER HORIZON 347 

committee was accordingly appointed by the mis- 
sion workers themselves, and so energetically did 
they take up the task, that when they laid their plans 
before the trustees of the church in May of 1866, 
they had secured pledges amounting to $40,000,* 
and had actually bought "three lots on the south side 
of Thirty-fifth Street, west of Seventh Avenue," f 
where they proposed to begin building at once. J 

A year and a half later, on October 20th, 1867, 
the Brick Church Mission Chapel, at No. 228 West 
Thirty-fifth Street, was dedicated.^ The building 
(known in more recent years as Christ Church) will 
be well remembered by many readers of this volume. 
It was built of brick, with light stone trimmings, and 
presented its gable end to the street. Below, on the 

* The pledges for definite sums amounted to $38,200 and four gentle- 
men had promised to bring it up to the figure named in the text. The sum 
subscribed had increased to $41,370 by April, 1867, while over $26,000 
was added the next year. 

t In turning over the undertaking at this point to the trustees, the 
committee said: " It is thought proper that the title shall be taken in your 
name, that the fund raised shall be paid into and drawn from your treas- 
ury, and that [it] be under your control, with no legal restraint upon you, 
and only on the honorary obligation (to be evidenced by suitable entries 
in your minutes) that the contribution shall never, unless in view of cir- 
cumstances which cannot now be foreseen, be diverted from the purpose 
for which it has been subscribed. The Brick Church has received a mis- 
sion at the hands of the donors represented by us. Time, which has worked 
such wonderful changes in the past of oiu* city, may again compel a re- 
moval of the Brick Church. By this gift it is desired that the trustees shall 
feel committed to the application of these funds for the maintenance sojne- 
where of a Brick Church Mission so long as there shall be a Brick Church." 

X Before the building began, it was proposed that the site be exchanged 
for one on Thirty-seventh Street, and the trustees were asked to supply 
$7,500, the difference in price, but they refused, deeming the site first 
chosen to be preferable. 

$ A portion of the building had, however, been in use for several 
months before this. The opening of the Sunday-school had taken place on 
May 27th. 



348 THE BRICK CHURCH 

street level, and reached through three entrances, 
was the church, adjoined by smaller rooms for church 
meetings and the pastor's study. Four staircases, 
one at each corner of the building, ascended to the 
Sunday-school room, which covered the entire upper 
story. Its lofty roof, large windows, and especially 
the commodious gallery at the south end, filled with 
the boys and girls of Mr. Barbour's intermediate 
department, made it a place that one remembers 
with peculiar pleasure. 

Not long after the new building was occupied '*the 
numbers in attendance had increased from the three 
hundred and tw^enty-five w^ho were present at the 
opening service ... to seven and eight hundred, the 
full capacity of the hall. The very first Christmas 
festival had an attendance of some fifteen hundred — 
nine hundred children and six hundred adults."* 
And, by the w^ay, this was probably the very first time 
that the word "Christmas" was used officially in 
connection with the Brick Church. The year before, 
1866, special exercises were, it is true, held in the 
mission school on Sunday, December 23d, but in the 
printed programme it was carefully described as "The 
Anniversary of the Brick Church Mission School," 
and not a word in the order of service, which ap- 
peared below, suggested in the slightest degree the 
beautiful story of Bethlehem, f Apparently, however, 
the sight of those eager children's faces, and the ex- 
perience of their childish needs, had at last broken 
down the old objection to an observance which had 

* "The Story of the Christ Church Work," p. 10. 

t The hymns were "Saviour, like a Shepherd lead us," "Jesus loves 
me," "Am I a soldier of the Cross," "Jesus paid it all," and "Nearer, my 
God, to thee." 




THE BRICK CHURCH MISSION CHAPEL 



A WIDER HORIZON 349 

been supposed in earlier years to be unevangelical ; 
for in December, 1867, the children were invited, 
not to a mere "Anniversary," but to a "Christmas 
Festival," and joined their voices in singing "This is 
Christmas Day" and "While Shepherds watched 
their flocks by night." 

Coincident with the opening of the new chapel was 
the coming to the mission of the Rev. Joseph J. 
Lampe, whose pastorate there was to continue for 
nearly thirty years; and at the same time, another 
prerogative of an independent church was given to 
his congregation. It was then decided that those at 
the mission who desired to make a profession of their 
faith need no longer go to the Brick Church for this 
purpose, but might be received into membership of 
the Brick Church at the mission chapel; thus in every- 
thing except its government the mission became pnac- 
tically an independent organization. 

From this time the growth of the congregation 
there, both in strength and in members, was phe- 
nomenal. Not long after Mr. Lampe had taken up 
the work, so many names of applicants for church 
membership were presented by him to the session of 
the Brick Church, that at the close of the session 
meetins: the ministers and elders were constrained to 
unite "in a season of special thanksgiving to God for 
his blessing on the mission." 

One special feature of the work at this time calls 
for particular mention, a dispensary started in 1872. 
Like the sewing-school and the reading-room, already 
referred to, this was an early indication of the need 
of various forms of activity supplementary to the 
purely spiritual. This dispensary, for the assistance 



350 THE BRICK CHURCH 

and relief of the sick poor of the church was, the ses- 
sion records tell us, *' in charge of Dr. E. D. Morgan, 
Jr., who had generously tendered his services in con- 
nection therewith. " * This work was continued at the 
mission for two years. 

Meanwhile, the Sunday-school which had been 
from the beginning, and continued to be, the founda- 
tion of the work, was enjoying great prosperity. For 
this it was indebted, under God, to the unselfish de- 
votion of the workers and especially to Mr. John E. 
Parsons, who, during all these years and until 1877, 
was at its head. "For twenty years he has occupied 
that post," said the session, in reluctantly accepting 
his resignation, "He has been enabled by the good 
providence of the Head of the Church to gather 
around him a devoted band of Christian workers. 
By the inspiration derived from his o^mi energetic 
leadership these teachers formed and maintained one 
of the most extensive and flourishing missions in the 
city. The regularity, devotion, and wise management 
of the superintendent were exemplary to all asso- 
ciated with him, and the estimate which the friends 
of the mission have formed, during a long contin- 
uance of years, of Mr. Parsons' work, has been 

* In a memorial address on the life of Dr. Morgan, delivered by Dr. C. 
R. Agnew before the Medical Society of the County of New York, the fol- 
lowing reference is made to this enterprise: Dr. Morgan "graduated from 
Bellevue Hospital Medical College in 1871. He soon opened an office on 
the west side of the city, near the quarters of the poor, and from that mo- 
ment until broken down in health, in the spring of 1879, devoted himself, 
as the writer of this very well knows, to the unpaid care of the sick poor. 
I take back that word 'unpaid.' He got his reward; for although he, with 
exemplary reticence and meekness, tried to hide his beneficence from the 
gaze and applause of his fellow-men, it was seen, we must believe, by One 
who never allows a cup of cold water even to be given, in true charity, to 
a sufferer without a note in his book of remembrance." 



A WIDER HORIZON 351 

heightened by the consideration that it was sustained 
throughout the severe and growing pressure of pro- 
fessional duties." During this whole period, we are 
reminded by the present pastor of Christ Church, 
"the school met in both morning and afternoon ses- 
sions. These long years of exacting service, the many 
hours of the Sabbaths which he used, not for rest, 
but for the Master's service, the energy and intelli- 
gence with which he directed the work of the school, 
should insure to Mr. Parsons a grateful memory 
among the people of Christ Church, while his exam- 
ple of consecrated service should be an inspiration to 
us all."* For the subsequent development of this 
whole enterprise, we must wait until we reach a later 
chapter of the history. 

In January, 1875, Dr. Murray expressed his desire 
to resign from the Brick Church pastorate that he 
might accept a call to the Chair of Rhetoric and Eng- 
lish Literature in Princeton College. The affection 
with which the congregation regarded him was very 
deep, and they had learned to prize very highly the 
intellectual and spiritual quality of his ministrations. 
One or two concrete facts will serve to suggest the 
esteem with which he was regarded. In 1868, when 
he had been pastor but three years, his salary was 
raised to $8,000,f a very emphatic indication of the 

* '^The Story of the Christ Church Work," p. 11. 

t It will be interesting to note, as an indication of the make-up of the 
church at this time, the names of those present at the meeting of men of 
the congregation at which this increase was voted. They were: Hon. E. 
D. Morgan, Messrs. White, Ely, Oilman, Dunning, Nixon, Bennet, Josce- 
lyn, Black, Griswold, Parsons, Comstock, West, Knapp, Paton, Spofford, 
Downer, Sperry, Faxon, Parish, Hull and Lord. 



352 THE BRICK CHURCH 

value that was placed upon his services. In the next 
year another act of the congregation showed with 
equal clearness their personal attachment to him. 
They gave him, on their own initiation, a leave of 
absence for five months that he might cross the ocean 
*'for purposes of culture and relaxation"; and as in 
the case of Dr. Spring, many years before, his depart- 
ure was made the occasion of expressing in words 
the affection of the congregation.* It was impossi- 
ble they said, to express fully "the feeling of attach- 
ment, respect, and confidence with which our people 
are most closely bound to you. We truly compose 
but one Christian family, guided, as we believe, by 
God through means of your ministry, on which a 
great blessing has been bestowed." 

As the years passed, these sentiments were still 
further strengthened, and it is evident from the 
records, that his friends of the Brick Church learned 
with sincere sorrow of his proposed resignation and 
departure to Princeton. He, on his part, was for 
many reasons most loath to go. He said with feeling 
that his ten years in the Brick Church had been the 
happiest of his life. But the work which had been 
offered to him at the college had peculiar attractions 
for him, and there were, moreover, reasons why his 
departure from New York had come to appear de- 
sirable, if not necessary. "The large executive busi- 
ness and the distracting details of his office [in the Brick 

* The regular summer holiday at the time of Dr. Murray's coming to 
New York consisted of six weeks. It may be added here that during the 
pastor's absence it was customary to hold union services with a neighbor- 
ing church, and we note with special interest that the records at this time 
speak repeatedly of such an arrangement between the Church of the Cove- 
nant and the Brick Church. 



A WIDER HORIZON 353 

Church] and, above all, the glaring publicity in which 
of necessity he did his work, for a man of his tem- 
perament, were hard, and they wore upon him." * 

The session acquiesced in his resignation with 
great reluctance. *'Did we yield to our own de- 
sires," they said, "or to our views of what the inter- 
ests of the church dictate, we should without dissent 
feel it impossible to agree to Dr. Murray's request." 
But the most emphatic and expressive protest against 
the acceptance of Dr. Murray's resignation was that 
which was presented to the session in the name of 
the children of the church, as soon as the unwelcome 
news reached the ears of the people. This letter, 
though it was not the production, we may suppose, of 
the youthful signers themselves, did express the 
thoughts of the parents in regard to Dr. Murray's 
beneficent influence upon their children, and their 
belief that upon the boys and girls he had made a 
definite and favorable impression. This in itself was 
surely no small commendation of his ministry. 

"We feel," the letter to the session says, after 
a brief introduction, "that we, the children of this 
church, who have been so blessed with his instruc- 
tions, always so full of affectionate, earnest, and 
prayerful solicitude for our best good, so tenderly 
striving to win us to the truth, cannot rest without 
earnestly begging you to reconsider your action in 
this matter. We beg you to consider the blessing we 
have in the prayers and instructions of the pulpit, 
ever given in language so rarely fitted to guide the 
young mind to all that is pure and elevated in thought 
and action, while it is so fully in the spirit of the 

* "James O. Murray," by John De Witt, p. 26. 



354 THE BRICK CHURCH 

meekness and tenderness of our blessed Saviour. 
We beg you to compare it with much of the instruc- 
tion of the present time, so unsuited to the dignity 
and solemnity of the sacred desk. We also beg you 
to consider our loss in not only losin^; these sacred 
instructions, but also the devoted, affectionate, and 
earnest efforts that Mrs. Murray and the family 
have made for our pleasure and improvement in all 
respects. * 

"And, dear Sirs, in view of these considerations, to 
our minds and hearts more weighty than we have 
power to express, we pledge ourselves that, if we 
may be blessed with the continuance of the labors 
and instructions of our beloved pastor, we will stand 
by you and him ])y every effort we can make to sus- 
tain you in enlarging the church, by striving by our 
example and effort to bring others into the Sabbath- 
school, and in seeking to win them to the enjoyments 
of the same rich privileges that have been our own, 
and of which we earnestly hope we may not now be 
deprived; and beg you to use all your influence and 
efforts to persuade Dr. Murray to reconsider liis 
resiirnation, both as a session and as individuals; in 
proof of which, with great respect, we hereto affix 
our names." 

We may be sure that after such an appeal as this, 
the like of which it is safe to say, not many pastors 
have received in relinquishing their charges. Dr. 
Murray would, if possible, have reversed his action, 
refused the alluring call to Princeton, and taken up 

♦Mrs. Murray had been ono of the founders of the "Children's 
Society," as was n-lated in the htst eliapter. In memory of this service ren- 
dered by her, the Murray Kinderg-arten, when started at the mission in 
1891, was named in her honor. 



A WIDER HORIZON 355 

once more the work for the grown people and the 
children of the Brick Church. But this was clearly 
an act that he felt to be neither wise nor right. The 
most that he could do was to continue for a time to 
occupy his old pulpit, and this he did for nine months 
until the beginning of October, but then at length 
the time came for good-bye and Godspeed.* 

Such work, however, as he had done, does not 
perish when the worker is called away to another 
field. Writing twenty years later, one of his success- 
ors in the Brick Church thus paid his tribute to Dr. 
Murray: "A scholar of fine literary attainments, 
a Christian gentleman of the most beautiful charac- 
ter, and a preacher of profound spirituality, the in- 
fluence of his ministry still abides in the church." f 

* He spent the rest of his Hfe in the service of Princeton as Professor and 
Dean, highly influential and greatly beloved. He died in 1899. 
t Dr. van Dyke, "An Historic Church," p. 24. 



CHAPTER XX 

A MINISTER FROM ABROAD : 1876-1882 



"What is the result of my ministry amongst you? I am not careful for you 
to answer in respect to external things. A growing congregation, an extending 
interest, a public reputation — these are small matters compared with the effect of 
that ministry in your hearts and lives." — Llewelyn D. Bevax, Pastoral Letter, 
1878. 

"Moreover, concerning a stranger that is not of thy people Israel, but coraeth 
out of a far country, for thy name's sake." — 1 Kings 8 : 41. 



UNTIL 1876, the Brick Church had owned no 
parsonage, nor had it felt the need of one 
until the more frequent changes in the pas- 
torate, combined with the increased difficulty of ob- 
taininof a residence in the neio;hborhood of the 
church, brought the matter into special prominence. 
At the initiation of Mr. Morgan, at this time presi- 
dent of the board of trustees — '* Governor" Morgan, 
as he was always called* — an opportunity to secure 
No. 14 East Thirty-seventh Street was improved, 
and the house, "together with the mirrors, console 
tables, gas fixtures, and white patent shades," was 
purchased for $35,100. The furnishings increased 
this outlay by about $5,000, and the entire sum was 
borrowed by the trustees, largely by a mortgage on 
the property. This added nothing, however, to the 
annual burden of the church, since the pastor's salary 
would, of course, be proportionately reduced, f while 

* He had held that office in New York State for two terms, beginning 
in 1858. 

t From $8,000 to $G,000. 

356 



A MINISTER FROM ABROAD 357 

to the new pastor himself the provision of a suitable 
and commodious house, ready for his use, would be 
a great convenience. 

The man chosen to be the first occupant of this 
parsonage was the Rev. Llewelyn D. Bevan, LL.B., 
of London, England. * 

He was pastor of the congregation which wor- 
shipped in the church on Tottenham Court Road, 
known as Whitefield's Chapel, f having been erected 
in 1756 by the same George Whitefield whose preach- 
ing exerted a strong influence on the religious devel- 
opment of the first pastor of the Brick Church, as 
has been described in an earlier chapter; but except 
for this coincidence of association the new pastor 
was a complete stranger, and to the country as well 
as to the church that had called him. 

This going abroad for their minister had no doubt 
been suggested to the Brick Church officers by the 
example of other churches, for there were at that 
time a singularly large number of foreign ministers in 
New York pulpits. *'It must be somewhat discour- 
aging to our native preachers," said an editorial in one 
of the newspapers, "to find so many leading pulpits 
taken possession of by ministers brought from 
abroad. . . . We have already, in New York, Dr. 
John Hall at the great Fifth Avenue Presbyterian 
Church, the most popular preacher in the city, and 
a north of Ireland Scotchman; Dr. Ormiston,J of 

* He was called on October 4th, 1876, his letter of acceptance was dated 
November 16th, and he was installed on January 16th, 1877. 

t It was replaced in 1899 by a new building now known as the White- 
field Memorial Church. 

J In 18G4, when he was settled in Hamilton, Canada, he was consid- 
ered for the a'fesociate pastorate of the Brick Church. 



358 THE BRICK CHURCH 

the Fifth Avenue Collegiate Dutch Reformed Church, 
an eloquent sermonizer and a thorough Scotchman; 
and Dr. Taylor, at the Broadway Tabernacle, also a 
very gifted preacher and also a Scotchman, and now 
the old Brick Church on Fifth Avenue follows its 
neighbors in sending abroad for a pastor. . . . 
Our theological seminaries," this editorial adds, 
"must be turning out indifferent preachers, if the in- 
stances we have named — and they are only a part of 
the number — prove that, in order to get ministers 
whose sermons shall be satisfactory to critical con- 
gregations, the wealthiest churches must send across 
the Atlantic for them." 

It was, however, no mere following of a fashion 
that influenced the people of the Brick Church in 
calling Mr. Bevan. They had strong grounds for their 
belief that in him they had found an exceptionally 
able preacher and pastor. He had for more than seven 
years worked in London with great success, as his 
parishioners there testified in commending him to 
his new charge. "AVe in sorrow submit [to his de- 
cision]" they said, "and transfer him to your love. 
. . . We pray earnestly that the loss we hereby sus- 
tain may prove the gain of the whole Church." Mr. 
Bevan had also been a prominent supporter of the 
Working Men's College in Great Ormond Street,* 
founded by his friend the Rev. Frederick Denison 
Maurice, t and a letter from the Council of the New 
College, London, "to the officers and members of 
the Presbyterian Church usually assembling for 

* Moved to Crowndale Road in 1905. 

t Especially, the Bible class, which Mr. Maurice had begun, but which 
had been dropped at his departure, was reestablished and successfully 
carried on by Mr. Bevan. 




LLEWELYN D. BE VAN 



A MINISTER FROM ABROAD 359 

worship in the old Brick Church, New York," ex- 
pressed in a very emphatic way the regret with 
which such institutions, quite outside of his own 
church, viewed Mr. Bevan's departure from London. 

He himself could not but feel the greatest sorrow 
in leaving such an important and prosperous field of 
work. "The step which I have thus taken," he said 
in his letter of acceptance, "is fraught with serious 
issues. I leave here a broken-hearted people whom 
I have gathered together in the name of the Lord, 
a large and perfectly united communion. There are 
many duties within the church, with others belong- 
ing to our denomination and our country, which I 
hereby lay down. I need the grace of the Master, 
the help of the Holy Spirit, and the sympathetic asso- 
ciation of a loving people. That these should be 
mine is my hourly prayer." 

Personally Mr. Bevan had many peculiarly attrac- 
tive qualities; "gifted, generous, vigorous, warm- 
hearted,"* thus his successor in the Brick Church 
has described him. He was a Welchman, as his name 
betokens, and he had, in full measure, the zeal and 
enthusiasm, the ready utterance, and the impulsive 
affections of that interesting race. In social inter- 
course he was genial and human, a man sure to 
make friends of those with whom he was closely 
associated. 

In spite of all that he was leaving behind and the 
inevitable hardship involved in taking up his work 
in a foreign land among a strange people, he came 
nevertheless with great courage and hope. One 
large element, probably, in his enthusiasm — it had 

♦ "An Historic Church," p. 24. 



360 THE BRICK CHURCH 

also been a large element, no doubt, in his decision to 
make the change — was the thought that he was com- 
ing to a new country, where he could bear a more 
influential part in laying the foundations of the later 
life of the people, than was possible in England. 
That was the kind of work to which he was especially 
drawn, and, we may add, for which he was fitted in 
a marked degree, as has been proved by his striking 
career in Australia in later years, where, it is re- 
ported, he has been an important factor not only in 
the religious, but in the social and political life of the 
Colony. 

But it must be added that Mr. Bevan had appar- 
ently overstated to himself the newness of the field 
to which he was coming. He knew, of course, that 
the Brick Church represented, not the pioneer life of 
nineteenth-century America, but an older and more 
settled portion of its society. Indeed, the letter quoted 
above, in which the New College, London, commends 
him to "the old Brick Church," suggests that he and 
his English friends had noted — with a genial smile, 
perhaps — the antiquity, from the American point of 
view, of the church whose call he had accepted. 
Nevertheless, as was natural for a citizen of the old 
world, he evidently had assumed that even the oldest 
things in America must still be in the formative period. 

It is not difficult to see that he was genuinely sur- 
prised and disappointed when the real conditions 
became apparent to him, when he discovered that, 
far as New York life was from representing a vener- 
able civilization, it was almost equally removed from 
that youthful state in which any determined and 
courageous worker can become a founder of social 



A MINISTER FROM ABROAD 361 

and political institutions, the architect of the future 
on a large scale. 

In an interview published on the eve of his return 
to England, Mr. Bevan, in a frank and interesting 
way, described the facts of the case as he had seen 
them and their effect upon himself. "Your profes- 
sional men," he said, "especially clergymen, seem to 
be restricted to purely professional work in a fashion 
that we do not dream of in London. Here . . . [the 
clergyman] is outside of politics entirely: he is not 
expected to lecture much, not expected to concern 
himself with social questions, and not expected to 
concern himself much with education, justice, or tem- 
perance. To a Londoner this seems all wrong, but it 
is useless to question it. . . . Clergymen [in America] 
are well paid and kindly treated, but they are not ex- 
pected to work for the good of their fellow-men, ex- 
cept in certain defined lines. In England the clergy 
of the Establishment are frequently justices of the 
peace. We of the non-Conformist party are members 
of the School Board, Public Works, and so forth, and 
take a part in all public movements. . . . You 
Americans are far more conservative than English- 
men. ... I was asked to go to a great meeting on 
a public topic soon after I got here, to find that all 
I was expected to do was to open the meeting with 
a prayer and close it with a benediction. I was 
dumfounded." * 

While this statement may seem to an American to 
be somewhat exaggerated, it must be confessed that 

* From the " Evening Post, " March 6th, 1880. To some other statements 
in the interview, not quoted in the text, Mr Bevan took exception m 
a letter printed in the "Post" on March 8th. He accepted the rest as m 
Bubstance an accurate report of "a very informal conversation." 



362 THE BRICK CHURCH 

it contained a certain amount of truth. In many re- 
spects, the field of public life in New York at that 
time was, as Mr. Bevan says, more difficult of en- 
trance for any but politicians than it was in London. 
Moreover, the work of the Brick Church was so ex- 
acting and its standards of pastoral efficiency, espe- 
cially in the matter of preaching, were so high, that 
its pastor would find almost all his time and energy 
exhausted in the performance of his parish duties. 
It would be difficult for him to go outside of that 
more limited sphere and engage effectively in public 
affairs without some slighting of the work of his own 
parish. In all this Mr. Bevan not unnaturally found 
cause for disappointment. 

The officers of the church, also, had, on their part, 
made a miscalculation. They had assured them- 
selves of Mr. Bevan's success in his London pastorate, 
but they had not sufficiently considered whether he 
could so far adapt himself to the materially different 
conditions of the Brick Church as to achieve there 
a work equally successful. Perhaps they thought that 
to succeed as a non-Conformist among the middle 
class people of London, and even among the work- 
ingmen of that city, was so much more difficult than 
the problem presented by a prominent and well-es- 
tablished Presbyterian Church in New York, that no 
anxiety on that score need be felt. But, after all, the 
problem of every church is peculiar to itself, and a 
man, very successful in his own appropriate sphere, 
may be seriously handicapped when he is moved out 
of it. 

AVe are thus warned from the outset of the diffi- 
culties which Mr. Bevan was called upon to face. 



A MINISTER FROM ABROAD 363 

But in spite of them he made a vigorous beginning. 
The spirit and result of his work during the first two 
or three years cannot be better described than in his 
own words, quoted from two pastoral letters which 
he issued to the congregation in December, 1878, 
and November, 1879. 

"The revolution of another year," he says in the 
earlier of these epistles, "has brought us to the 
second anniversary of the day when your pastor first 
took his place in the pulpit of your church, and it 
seems fitting that once again I should address you 
with words of affectionate greeting, grateful retro- 
spect, and joyous forecasting. . . . The increase of 
familiarity has only added to my respect and affection 
for those who welcomed me with kindness and have 
never for an instant ceased to extend that sympathy 
and evince that hearty regard which, next to the 
blessing of God, are a minister's chief support. 

"Another year of labor amongst you has added 
also to the strength of the church. We are steadily 
advancing in consolidation and stability. The flut- 
ter of novelty has passed away but only to leave a 
deeper interest and sense of obligation in the hearts 
of all associated in our communion. The scattered 
congregation has been regathered, and a large num- 
ber of new friends have been added, not only to the 
attendance upon public worship, but to the regular 
seat-holders in the congregation, and to the mem- 
bership of the church.* We had to wait long for the 
reorganization of our congregation after the summer 

* In 1878, fifty-three members were added to the chxirch, thirty-two of 
these joined at the Brick Church proper, seven by confession and twenty- 
five by letter. The rest were additions to the congregation at the mission. 
The figures for 1877 had been slightly larger, similarlyidistributed. 



364 THE BRICK CHURCH 

and autumn vacation ; but when it came the increase 
in numbers was so marked, and the growth was so 
evidently a solid one, that our hearts have been 
greatly cheered and encouraged. 

"There is one aspect of the growth of the church 
which I am very anxious to bring before you, and that 
is, the addition to our numbers of those who make 
profession of their faith, and are thus not only incre- 
ments of our community, but gains to the w^hole 
Church of Jesus Christ. These, I know, are often the 
direct effects of a powerful and convincing ministry, 
and for some that have been thus impressed, I am 
deeply thankful to him whose grace and power are 
alone suflBcient to affect the changes ; but in this work 
the preaching of the pastor is not alone sufficient; 
there must be also the prayer of the people. Breth- 
ren, I beseech you, pray for me and for my min- 
istry. 

"The various spheres of our common activity have 
been well sustained, and, in some cases greatly en- 
larged. Our mission work is seriously in need of 
helpers, and the school only requires teachers, to be 
filled to its utmost capacity. 

*'The labors of the ladies of the congregation 
have been unremitting in behalf of the poor, and the 
Employment Society, while increasing in the number 
of those whom it can aid, is able to sustain its efforts 
only by the continued and increased generosity and 
activity of the members of the church. . . . 

"One of our chief causes of satisfaction has been 
the interest taken amongst the children, in our Sun- 
day-school and in the Children's Society. There has 
been a remarkable revival and quickening of atten- 



A MINISTER FROM ABROAD 365 

tion. A church in the position of ours must grow 
chiefly along the lines of its families, and we have, 
therefore, been greatly encouraged by the healthful 
energy of the institutions belonging to the children. 

"There is one point which I desire to press home 
upon your attention, namely, the services of the 
church upon the week-days. May I beg of you not to 
neglect these opportunities of assembling in the house 
of God for instruction and for prayer ? To me, these 
services are the most refreshing of any that we hold. 
To those who wish to hear the preacher when most 
living and instructive, I would venture to say, hear 
him on Wednesday nights; but especially I beg 
for a larger attendance at the prayer-meeting on 
Saturday evenings. That is, I believe, a peculiar 
source of strength for the entire church. Were it 
fully and warmly sustained by a people pressing in 
to prayer, the revival which we desire would not be 
long delayed. 

*'One other special point of importance demands 
our attention. After several experiments, and after 
much deliberation, we have determined that the sec- 
ond Sunday service of our church shall be in the 
afternoon, to be held regularly and without break. 
May I not beg the fullest attendance of the congre- 
gation upon that occasion ? The universal dwindling 
of the second service of the Lord's Day is not a healthy 
sign of modern church life. Let it at least not be 
known amongst us. ... If a congregation be not 
in its place, why should the minister be found in his 
pulpit ? These shall be the only notes not altogether 
cheerful in my words to you, and even these I will 
close with the expression of the hope of a regular and 



366 THE BRICK CHURCH 

large afternoon congregation, in which hope I be- 
seech you not to disappoint me." 

The rest of the letter being of a more general and 
discursive character need not be quoted here, but two 
or three topics already referred to in the earlier part 
of it deserve further notice. The attention given to the 
children of the church was certainly a happy feature 
of Mr. Bevan's ministry. The present writer well 
remembers the children's service held from time to 
time on Sunday afternoons, when all the arrange- 
ments were designed to make the boys and girls feel 
that the service distinctly belonged to them. Par- 
ticularly important, if depth and permanence of im- 
pression are to be regarded as indications, was the 
fact that even the taking up of the collection was at 
that service entrusted to the children. It was, it is 
true, a somewhat awful moment to boys of eight or 
ten, when they must pass from end to end of that in- 
terminable Brick Church aisle, while the possibility 
of passing by some man or woman, hidden away at 
the inner end of a pew, added a further cause of 
dread to the exercise; but the boys liked it, and, 
what is more important, it gave them a feeling of per- 
sonal participation in the life of the church which 
helped to root them there for later life.* 

These services were connected with the work of 
the Children's Society, whose organization in Dr. 
Murray's time has been already described, and whose 
quickened interest Mr. Bevan mentioned with grati- 
tude in the letter that has been quoted. The collec- 
tions at these services, for which the boys "passed 
the plate," were for the replenishing of the society's 

* These children's services had been started in the time of Dr. Murray. 



A MINISTER FROM ABROAD 367 

treasury. Another means used for the same pur- 
pose was the holding of an occasional fair for the 
sale of those "fancy and useful articles" which church 
members are asked to contribute in the morning and 
buy back in the afternoon. 

From these sources considerable sums of money 
were realized, and used, not only for the regular work 
which the society had from the beginning under- 
taken among the poor children connected with the 
mission, but also for the furthering of special enter- 
prises of a character in harmony with the society's 
general purpose. Thus in one year the object was 
stated as "The Children's Convalescent Country 
Home," in another as "The Sanitary Home for Sick 
Children." Mr. Bevan was especially anxious that 
the Brick Church should start a home of its own in 
the country, to which the sick children in its charge 
might be sent for rest and refreshment. But although 
a beginning of the collection of the necessary funds 
was made, the plan could not then be carried out; 
and one reason for this was a period of decline into 
which the Children's Society entered not long after 
the time at present under consideration. The causes 
for this decadence and the happy result to which it 
ultimately led, will be described in the next chapter. 

In connection with the Children's Society, it will 
be appropriate to speak of another organization in 
which Mr. Bevan took a special interest. When he 
came, he found no society for the young men of the 
church, for the "Association," which came into ex- 
istence in Dr. Hoge's time had meanwhile disap- 
peared. Mr. Bevan had not been in New York three 
months when he brouo-ht about the oro;anization of a 



368 THE BRICK CHURCH 

"Young Men's Society," he himself accepting the 
responsibility of being its first president The ses- 
sion took occasion to express their special satisfac- 
tion at the launching of this enterprise and their 
"hope that it will prove an effective agency in devel- 
oping Christian fellowship and promoting Christian 
activity in the church and congregation." And, in- 
deed, the social gayeties which this society intro- 
duced into the church life in the year 1877 must 
have been astonishing to people of the older genera- 
tion. In April, in May, and again in November en- 
graved invitations from the young men requested 
the pleasure of the church's company (including 
the young women) at an evening reception in the 
church parlors " from 8| to 10|." How long this 
society continued we do not know, but the sudden 
ceasing of all allusion to it makes us fear that it soon 
perished. 

The matter of the second Sunday service, to which 
reference was made in the pastoral letter already 
quoted, had evidently been discussed at considerable 
length, and indeed it was not settled to the satisfac- 
tion of every one till a still later date. The oflScers 
of the church seem to have been very emphatically 
in favor of the old afternoon service, but the pastor 
and perhaps some of the congregation were so anx- 
ious to have the hour changed to the evening, that 
they returned several times to the discussion. They 
succeeded in obtaining permission to try their plan 
for brief intervals, but the original hour was always 
soon restored. A further reference to the same sub- 
ject will be found in a second letter, issued in the 
year 1879, which may now be quoted. 



A MINISTER FROM ABROAD 369 

"The welcome accorded to my previous communi- 
cation," Mr. Bevan says in his introduction, "has 
determined me not to break through the custom so 
pleasantly begun." Then after referring to the 
"serious family anxiety" by which the year had been 
marked (an accident to Mrs. Bevan from whose effects 
she suffered, with great patience, for many years), 
he takes up the affairs of the church. "Labor," he 
says, "has been unbroken. Increase, steady and 
marked, has attended the church's history, and we 
are permitted to commence the duties of a new sea- 
son with promise of still greater achievement and 
growth. The successful endeavor to deal with the 
debt which our community had incurred has been 
a cause of much cheer and congratulation. All have 
been interested, while to some, whose generous gifts 
and unceasing energy have combined to render the 
often ungracious work of debt-raising assured and 
pleasant, my best felicitations and esteem are due. 
It is thus that we would blend our thankfulness to 
God and our recognition of those whom he has in- 
spired with affection and zeal. That kindness which 
greeted a stranger grows into the confidence and re- 
gard which attend the friend and pastor." 

We may interrupt the course of the letter at this 
point to say that the paying off of the church's debt 
at this time was, indeed, a most happy incident. 
Partly the purchase of the parsonage and partly still 
earlier obligations from the days of the double 
pastorate, had forced the trustees to borrow some 
$49,000. But now, under the leadership of Governor 
Morgan, who was always found in the forefront of 
the church's work, almost the whole of this amount 



370 THE BRICK CHURCH 

was raised, a tremendous relief to the treasury, which 
had all it could do to meet current expenses. 

But to return to the letter. "I invite the younger 
members of the congregation," Mr. Bevan continues 
*'to give us all the aid they can in our mission work. 
This is our practical and aggressive duty. Its social 
influence will be found pleasant as well as strength- 
ening to all our interests, while nothing but the lack 
of helpers prevents the limitless increase of the good 
we can thus accomplish. I shall, therefore, cordially 
welcome any who may attach themselves to either 
our Sunday-school or our mission-school work. To 
the former send your children, to the latter let the 
young men and women of the church give themselves 
with complete consecration. 

*' Amongst the growing interests of our church are 
the Sunday afternoon service and the service of 
Wednesday evening. In respect of the former it is 
well known that your pastor would personally prefer 
an evening meeting. But many friends are averse to 
change, and unless it prove necessary, for a while at 
least, we shall continue with all fidelity the afternoon 
service. But this fact is a strong argument for a good 
regular attendance. The second service of the 
church is that which may generally be expected to 
prove the chief opportunity for the ingathering of 
those who are outside her pale. But meagre attend- 
ance will render inaffective the most earnest pleas, 
the most convincing argument. Give your minister 
the aid of your steady, unbroken, enthusiastic presence 
at this service. The Sunday afternoon, under any 
circumstances, is a difficult time for public discourse. 
The difficulty becomes almost insuperable when the 



A MINISTER FROM ABROAD 371 

preacher is greeted by the empty places of those upon 
whom he ought to lean for sympathy and support. 
Many more, also, ought to be present at the week- 
night service. It is hoped that the course of sermons 
upon the Book of Revelation, which has been com- 
menced, will sustain and increase the interest which 
has already been kindled. An hour snatched from the 
home circle or social pleasures, and spent in the 
house of God, and in attendance upon his word, 
cannot fail to result in confirming life's strength, and 
heightening its enjoyments. When the church is open 
for service its members ought surely to be present 
there. . . . 

"The most careless observer of our church cannot 
fail to notice not only an increase in the external 
signs of church life, but also a stirring of the deeper 
elements of faith and character amongst us. The sea- 
son of prayer lately observed resulted in a deepening 
of conviction and a quickening of earnestness. I 
have no great faith in sudden, temporary so-called 
revivals, but I long for a greater decision of Christian 
character. I yearn for the signs of changed hearts, 
and kindled spiritual sentiments. I solemnly summon 
to profession of faith those who so long have held 
back and are disciples only in secret. I pray for the 
conversion of sinners and the decisive choice of the 
wavering, the careless, the indifferent. . . . Once 
again, therefore, I cast myself upon the sympathy 
and prayers of the people, thanking all for unremit- 
ting personal kindness. Looking forward with 
much joyful expectation to the promise of work and 
results therefrom which seem to lie in the future, 
lifting up to God the voice of praise, and solemnly re- 



37^ THE BRICK CHURCH 

consecrating myself to your service in the Lord, 
whilst I claim from you a similar renewal of your 
vows, I remain, my dear friends, 

"Your affectionate pastor." 

The two letters that have been quoted carry us 
but a little more than half-way through Mr. Bevan's 
pastorate, for he remained in New York over two 
years more ; but no later pastoral letter has come down 
to us, if, indeed, the custom of issuing one each year 
was continued. The records of the church, moreover, 
give us for this period little more than the bare out- 
lines, so that it will not be possible to follow in detail 
the history of those later years. 

Yet to this one exception must be made. The con- 
tinued prosperity and growth of the mission is fully 
recorded, and demands our attention. The Sunday- 
school, of which Mr. Daniel J. Holden was superin- 
tendent, he having succeeded Mr. Parsons in 1877, 
could hardly have been more prosperous. Mr. 
Holden gave his whole heart to the work and the 
many who love to remember him know how much 
that meant. Seldom have there been united in one 
man so much strength and sweetness. " The sound- 
ness of his judgment" on the one hand, and "the pe- 
culiarly genial and lovable qualities of his nature," 
on the other, "visibly irradiated, as it was, by the 
spirit of a true disciple of Christ," * made him one 
of those rare personalities under whose influence any 
good and wise work is bound to prosper, f 

* From resolutions by the board of trustees at the time of his death. 
t In 1880 there was in the school an enrolment of 650 scholars; aver- 
age attendance, 450; number of officers and teachers, 52. 



A MINISTER FROM ABROAD 373 

Mr. Lampe was now on his second decade as pas- 
tor at the mission, and in numbers his congregation 
was fast overtaking that of the Brick Church itself,* 
while, under the wise leadership of the Brick Church 
session, it was being prepared as rapidly as possible 
for an independent existence. Especially a decided 
advance had been made toward self-support. In 
January, 1878, the people of the mission requested 
that they might be allowed to put in an organ at their 
own expense, and at the same time steps were taken 
toward placing upon their shoulders some definite 
share of the responsibility for their church's support. 
Later in the same year the cost of the music was se- 
lected as an appropriate portion of the expenses to 
be borne by the Thirty-fifth Street congregation, and 
it was voted by the session that "for the purpose of 
encouraging the mission to meet the responsibility, 
the church aid for music at the mission be for the 
present withdrawn." In 1879, in addition to a gen- 
eral invitation to contribute to the support of the 
church, the special proposal was made that the 
people of the mission provide for an increase of $500 
in their pastor's salary. Thus, little by little, the 
spirit of independence and the habit of self-support 
were being encouraged. 

In April, 1882, Dr. f Bevan offered his resignation. J 
He had been called to the new Congregational 

* In the official reports, the members of the two congregations were, 
of course, given together in one figure. More than a third of the members 
received during Dr. Sevan's pastorate worshipped at the mission. 

t He received the degree of D.D. in 1880. 

t His intention to return to London had been made public several 
weeks earlier, as will be seen from the dates of an interview and a letter 
quoted in the earlier portion of this chapter, page 361, note. 



374 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Church in Highbury Quadrant, London, and, as he 
said in the meeting of the Brick Church at which his 
resignation was accepted, he regarded as a compelHng 
summons this invitation to go "back to the field of 
his former labors." The truth was, no doubt, that 
his return to England seemed to him like the regain- 
ing of his freedom. In some important respects, as 
has been already said, he had not found in New 
York the opportunity he had anticipated, the oppor- 
tunity for whose sake he had abandoned the evident 
advantages of work among his own countrymen ; and 
the thought of taking up again his life in London could 
not but be welcome to him. 

He left behind him many warm friends. In 1885 
and again in 1886, he was invited to revisit America 
for the special purpose of preaching in the Brick 
Church during a whole or a part of the summer, but 
his duties at home prevented his acceptance. In 
1891, however, he did visit New York and occupied 
his old pulpit at that time. He had then moved once 
more from London, and had found in Melbourne, 
Australia, a most congenial field of service. Of his 
great success there his former parishioners heard with 



CHAPTER XXI 

REJUVENATED: 1882-1893 

••Moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; 
vpa he cave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The 
preacher soughrto find out acceptable words: and that which was written was 
upright even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails 
fastened by the masters of assemblies."— ficcieswisies. 12 : 9-11. 

"Our church is not like an ancient sign-post which the weather is wearing to 
decav nor like a graven image which can neither hear, nor speak, nor grow, but 
Hke a 'tree p anted by the rivers of water. Its roots run down deep into the pas . 
INi trunk rises strong and unbroken in the present. And, p'^a.se God. it shall still 
lift Us heaTto Sthe future, putting forth new buds and blossoms with every 
season."— Henry van Dyke. *• An Historic Church. 1893. p. 6. 

AT the same meeting at which Dr. Bevan's 
resignation was accepted a committee of 
twenty-seven * was appointed "to take meas- 
ures for fining the vacancy." This was in April, 1882. 
Almost at once the name of Henry J. van Dyke, 
Jr., minister of the United Congregational Church 
of Newport, R. I., was mentioned. Governor 
Morgan, the chairman of the committee, who knew 
him and his work, and thought him "a very fine 
young man," believed, nevertheless, that he ought not 
to be asked to leave the charge which he then held; 

* The names of these men, who made up a large part of the strength 
of the church at this time, are here given: Gov. Edwin D. Morgan Chair- 
man, George de Forest Lord, Frederick W. Downer, Benjamin F. Dun- 
ning, Ezra M. Kingsley, John E. Parsons, Frederick Billings Isaac N. 
Phelps, John G. Adams, M.D., Ronald M. Buchanan, Hamilton Odell^ 
Caldwell R. Blakeman, Daniel J. Holden, Daniel Parish, Jr^, Robert 
Watts, M.D., WiUiam B. Isham, Shepherd Knapp, Edward W Davis, 
John G. Davis, Charles G. Harmer, George W. Comstock, William D. 
Barbour, Nathan C. Ely, John Campbell, John A. Gilbert (John Q. ?) 
Clark, Walter Squires. 

375 



376 THE BRICK CHURCH 

but happily at about this time there came rumors 
that Mr. van Dyke was considering a call to London. 
If Newport was to lose him in any case, Governor 
Morgan was very clear that the place for him w^as the 
Brick Church, and in this the rest of the committee, 
after the matter had been given the most thorough 
consideration, heartily agreed. On September 20th, 
the congregation addressed to Mr. van Dyke a unani- 
mous call. 

The pastor elect was not quite thirty years of age, 
having been born in Germantown, Penn., on Nov- 
ember 10th, 1852. Not long after his birth, his 
father. Dr. Henry J. van Dyke, the eminent Presby- 
terian clergyman, began his long pastorate in Brook- 
lyn, and there the son grew up and received his ele- 
mentary education. 

Of these early years and of the chief companion- 
ship they brought to him, his daughter writes pleas- 
antly in her sketch of his life.* "From the first," 
she says, "his relationship with his father was a par- 
ticularly beautiful one, for besides the natural trust 
and reverence, there grew up the closest kind of a 
friendship. It was as comrades that they went off 
for their day's holiday, escaping from the city and its 
flag pavements and brownstone fronts, and getting 
out into the fresh country air, to walk through the 
woods and watch the leaves turn red and gold and 
brown and drop to the ground, or to skate in winter, 
or to listen to the song of the first returning bluebird 
in the spring. It was under the wise and tender 
guidance of his father that the boy's instinctive love 
of nature grew and developed." 

► "The Van Dyke Book," p. 159. 



REJUVENATED 377 

In 1869 he entered Princeton and four years later 
graduated, after showing in a conclusive manner his 
ability as an orator and as a student of literature. 
His theological training was acquired in Princeton 
Seminary (1874-1877), and in Germany, at the Uni- 
versity of Berlin (1878). Upon his return to America, 
he was ordained and entered upon his ministerial 
work as pastor of the church in Newport, where it 
was soon evident to all, including certain distin- 
guished Americans, who in the summer season be- 
came his parishioners, that he was destined to do an 
important work as a minister of Christ. It was in 
Newport that Governor Morgan knew him and 
marked him as a rising man. 

On January 16th, 1883, Mr. van Dyke was in- 
stalled as pastor of the Brick Church.* The task 
w^hich he had undertaken was difficult but inspiring, 
for it was his purpose that the Brick Church, finely 
situated in the best part of a great city, and inheritor 
of a noble past, should become once more an ac- 
knowledged leader in the work of Christ's kingdom, 
as she had been in the earlier years of the century. 

Before any decided advance in this direction could 
be made, there was needed first of all an honest 
stock-taking of the materials available for the work. 
Speaking at a later day to the Brick Church people 
about the period of his coming to them, he said, "If 
report speaks truly, you were somewhat discour- 

* The moderator of Presbytery presided; Rev. W. G. T. Shedd, D.D., 
conducted the devotional exercises; Rev. Henry J. van Dyke, D.D., 
preached the sermon from Eph. 3 : 8, "The unsearchable riches of Christ"; 
Rev. Howard Crosby, D.D., delivered the charge to the pastor; Rev. 
John Hall, D.D., delivered the charge to the people; Mr. van Dyke pro- 
nounced the benediction. 



378 THE BRICK CHURCH 

aged. You had a nominal membership of one thou- 
sand, and an actual membership of less than three 
hundred ; a congregation which half filled the church 
in the morning and varied from fifty to a hundred in 
the afternoon ; a floating debt and a sinking revenue. 
But you had also a company of people who were de- 
voted to the church and willing to work for it in the 
face of discouragements." * 

Almost the first problem attacked was that of the 
roll. The statements quoted in the last paragraph 
seem at first thought almost incredible, but they 
found their explanation in two facts. First, about 
three hundred and fifty of the members of the Brick 
Church attended the chapel in West Thirty-fifth 
Street. This accounted for half of the discrepancy 
between the "nominal" and the "actual" member- 
ship. Second, the other half of the discrepancy was 
explained by the fact that for a long time the 
church roll had not been revised, so that it included 
the names of many who had moved and left no trace 
behind, or who had otherwise disappeared. In a 
large city church, especially if it includes the more 
unstable dwellers in the tenements, as the Brick 
Church did through its chapel, this sort of loss is 
always considerable ; but three hundred and fifty was 

* "An Historic Church," pp. 25 /., cf. footnote above, p. 373. A few 
of this honorable company, " Gideon's band " as their pastor sometimes 
called them, are still at their posts. To those who were called away by 
death during the first decade of his pastorate, Dr. van Dyke, in the 
sermon already quoted above, made the following reference. " Strong and 
generous men," he called them, "who seemed indispensable to the main- 
tenance of the church — E. D. Morgan, Frederick Billings, S. H. Wither- 
bee, Charles G. Harmer, John C. Tucker, George de Forest Lord, and many 
more. How much we mourned the loss of these good soldiers in the cauge 
But their spirits continued with us" (p. 30). 




HENKV VAN DYKE, 1892 



REJUVENATED 379 

a tremendous proportion of the entire roll, and the 
necessary removal of so large a number from the 
active list made it seem in the records as though the 
church had suddenly shrunk to an amazing degree. 
Yet to know the true facts was really a source of 
strength. The visible three hundred members who 
emerged from the enumeration were worth far more 
for the work that lay before them than the vague 
and largely imaginary thousand who had been sup- 
posed to occupy the strategic position on Murray 
Hill. 

A second task immediately undertaken, and one of 
much greater magnitude, was the introduction of 
such changes as would make the church more 
attractive in the best sense. It was the purpose of 
the new pastor to create in the Brick Church such 
conditions that the Christian message would there 
be commended to the hearer by every help that art 
and learning could properly provide, or, as he him- 
self has characteristically expressed it in a single 
phrase, '*to light the fire on the hearth." In the 
young preacher who had been chosen to deliver the 
message, the church was sure that it had found a man 
capable of speaking God's truth in a manner so full 
of interest and grace that a congregation could not 
choose but hear. As events proved, they had suc- 
ceeded far more fully than they knew: they had 
chosen as their leader one of those rare men whom 
God has endowed with double and triple gifts. 

But although they had thus secured for their pastor 
this man who was prophet and poet as well, they were 
not so foolish as to leave him to work unaided. On 
the contrary, they responded to his own strongly ex- 



380 THE BRICK CHURCH 

pressed desire that all the accompaniments and sur- 
roundings of the church service should measure up 
to the standard of beauty as well as that of use. At 
the very first trustees' meeting after Mr. van Dyke's 
installation, the question of an improvement in the 
music was the subject of discussion, with the imme- 
diate result that the appropriation for that purpose 
was increased almost twenty-five per cent. 

But the most momentous change proposed was 
the complete renovation of the interior of the church. 
There had, indeed, been a distinct understanding 
before Mr. van Dyke accepted the call, that this 
should be undertaken without delay. The old in- 
terior, which had stood practically unchanged since 
the erection of the church, some twenty-five years be- 
fore, was dignified, but it could not be called beauti- 
ful. According to the standards of taste that had 
arisen in the interval, the bare walls, the white plas- 
tered ceiling, the plain, unornamented character of 
all the fittings and furniture produced an effect of 
coldness and severity which to many of the younger 
generation was positively repellant. It was intended 
that as soon as Mr. van Dyke was settled in his work 
all this should be changed. 

An unexpected catastrophe threatened to over- 
throw the entire plan at the very outset, and indeed, 
to cripple the church in all its undertakings. On Feb- 
ruary 14th, 1883, Governor Morgan died. His death 
was a national loss, for he had been not only mer- 
chant and philanthropist, but statesman and patriot, 
and his service to his country during a most critical 
period of her history, first as "War Governor of the 
Empire State" from 1858 to 1863, and then as 



REJUVENATED 381 

United States Senator from 1863 to 1869, had won 
for him a place in the admiration and gratitude of 
his countrymen.* But nowhere was his loss felt 
more keenly than in the Brick Church, of which, at 
the time of his death, he was without dispute the 
leading member. 

Governor Morgan, who had been chairman of the 
committee by whom the new pastor had been chosen, 
had joined heartily in the promise that the church 
should be renovated, and when he made such a prom- 
ise he meant to back up his word by a substantial 
gift from his generous purse. At his death, it be- 
came at least a serious question whether the old bare 
interior must not be allowed to stand. 

But the question was soon answered by an order 
to go ahead. Possibly the officers of the church 
were wise enough to see that to abandon the project 
would almost amount to a vote of lack of confidence 
in their pastor. On the other hand, he had certainly 
inspired them with something of his own enthusiasm 
for the enterprise; and the result was that the lay- 
men of the church undertook to raise the necessary 
sum, between thirty and forty thousand dollars, and 
Mr. John La Farge, the distinguished artist, was 
engaged to direct the work. 

* A list of some of the organizations which passed resolutions in re- 
gard to his death will give some idea of the varied usefulness of his life: 
The National Bank of Commerce; the American Tract Society; the 
Assembly of the State of New York; the Association for the Relief ot 
Respectable, Aged, Indigent Females; the Woman's Hospital in the State 
of New York; the Chamber of Commerce; the Maritime Association, 
Port of New York; Union Theological Seminary; the Presbyterian Hos- 
pital; the New York, Lake Erie, and Western Railroad Company; the 
New York City Mission; the Union League Club; the Board of Aldermen 
of New York City. 



382 THE BRICK CHURCH 

"The building or adornment of a church," Mr. 
van Dyke said, "is not like the building or adorn- 
ment of a dwelling-house. It is not a work of private 
ostentation, but a work of public beneficence; not a 
work of selfishness, but a work of charity, just as 
truly as the building of a hospital or the endowment 
of a library. For it stands with open doors, and, 
if it be a true church of Christ, offers its privileges 
to all who will receive them." * Such was the 
generous aim with which the work was begun in 
June, 1883. On October 28th of the same year, the 
church was reopened, totally and splendidly trans- 
formed. 

Instead of the cold grays and whites of a New 
England meeting-house, which had been familiar to 
generations of Brick Church worshippers, both on 
Beekman Street and on Murray Hill, the spacious 
interior now possessed some of the warmth and rich- 
ness of color characteristic of the Byzantine churches 
of the old world. Indeed, so skilfully and with such 
perfect taste had the artist worked, that one realized 
with diflSculty the newness of the decoration; it 
seemed already to have acquired the dignity and 
mellowness which usually age alone is able to pro- 
duce. 

The prevailing tone selected for the broad surfaces 
of the walls was a soft or broken "Pompeian red," 
while the color of the woodwork and upholstery of 
the pews was somewhat similar, a choice which pro- 
duced the effect of warmth already alluded to; while 
lightness and variety were secured by the use of 

* "The Joy of the Christian when He Is Invited to Enter the Lord's 
House: a Sermon," p. 10. 




REDECORATED INTERIOR OF THE BRICK CHURCH 



REJUVENATED 383 

mosaic of various colors, relief work in majolica,* 
embroideries, t and colored glass in windows and 
lanterns. But the most important work was done in 
the ceiling and the cornice. There the richness of 
sombre colors on a background of weathered gold, 
the wealth of varied and intricate design, the signifi- 
cance imparted by a pervading, yet unobtrusive use 
of Christian symbol and inscription, produce together 
an effect of great and enduring beauty, and make 
this work of Mr. La Farge one of the most important 
examples of church decoration in America. J It was 
felt at once that a spirit of reverence and worship, 
not unlike that which is characteristic of many 
Gothic churches, though produced by entirely dif- 
ferent means, had been imparted to the very building 
of the Brick Church, and must be felt by all who 
entered its doors. ^ 

* This was imported from England, being the product of the "Minton" 
works. It follows closely the form of decorative work to be found in the 
Cathedral of Torcello (1008), and in other churches of the same period or 
earlier, in Ravenna, Venice, and elsewhere in Italy. 

t Designed by Mr. La Farge and executed by Miss Tillinghast. 

t A prominent New York architect, in a letter to the author, after re- 
marking that the original interior of the Brick Church "was even plainer 
than most New England meeting-houses," adds, "This later proved to be 
a great advantage, for when John La Farge took hold of it to decorate it, 
it furnished him a base of operations that was comparatively untram- 
melled, and the result is probably the most beautifully decorated interior 
of any public building in the country. I have never seen one that, on the 
whole, seemed so satisfactory, and it would really be a calamity if any- 
thing happened to destroy or deface it. In decorating it, the interior was 
so devoid of character that Mr. La Farge was at liberty to follow any 
school that he chose, provided it inclined to the classic. He chose that of 
the early Italian churches, from the eighth to the tenth centuries." 

§ One important change made at this time was the removal of the 
organ and choir from the gallery above and behind the pulpit (where the 
spaces between the columns are now filled in with mosaic-covered walls) 
to a new gallery opened at the east end of the church. This gallery and 
the organ were greatly enlarged at a later date (1898), as a thank-offering 



384 THE BRICK CHURCH 

It will not be necessary to follow in chronological 
order the remaining events of the first decade of Dr. * 
van Dyke's ministry. A better conception of the 
period will be obtained by presenting its salient 
features without special reference to date. But first 
of all, the period as a whole must be characterized as 
one of marked or even of phenomenal progress, from 
every point of view, material and spiritual alike. 
The New York "Tribune"" was but expressing a 
matter of common knowledge when it said, in an 
editorial in 1888, that the Brick Church, which, on 
Dr. van Dyke's arrival "was very respectable, but 
very small," had since that time "been growing 
largely and steadily, and [was] once more full. 
Christian work," the editorial continued, "is thor- 
oughly organized and actively pushed, and the old 
Brick Church has completely renewed her youth." f 
It would be difficult to overstate the esteem and deep 
personal affection with which Dr. van Dyke was soon 
universally regarded. His genial and sympathetic 
nature, added to his great intellectual powers, made 
an appeal which was wellnigh irresistible. 

for the first fifteen years of Dr. van Dyke's ministry. Two of the stained- 
glass windows on the south, of different design from the others, were given 
as memorials, one of Governor Morgan, the other of Dr. E. D. Morgan 
and his wife. The only important changes since that time, in addition to 
the one already mentioned above, were the placing of a screen of colored 
glass behind the rear pews, and the introduction of electricity, by which 
the beauty of the decoration, especially of the ceiling, was revealed as 
never before. The present communion table, presented in 1890, is a me- 
morial of Mrs. Maria Brower McNeel, while the font was given in 1899 by 
Dr. van Dyke as a memorial of his little son Bernard. 

* He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Princeton in 1884 
and subsequently from Harvard and Yale. The degree of Doctor of Laws 
has been conferred upon him by several colleges and universities. 

t Quoted in the " University Magazine," for April, 1S92, p. 416. 




EAST END OF THE CHURCH INTERIOR, 1883 
Showing choir gallery 



REJUVENATED 385 

During the whole period there seems to have ap- 
peared but one cloud upon the horizon. This was 
the threatened departure, on two occasions, of the 
leader to whom, under God, the church's prosperity 
and enlarged usefulness were plainly due. This re- 
curring danger is worthy of mention, not for its own 
sake, for it was happily averted in both cases, but 
because of the expression which it called forth from 
both pastor and people of the strong bond holding 
them together. 

The first suggestion that Dr. van Dyke might be 
contemplating a surrender of his office came in De- 
cember, 1885. He had now been at work three years 
and he felt constrained to use an opportunity which 
had presented itself, to submit to the congregation 
the question whether they approved of what he had 
done and aimed to do, and desired him to continue 
his ministry among them. The opportunity con- 
sisted in offers, made to him from several quarters, to 
enter a new field of work in which he would be able, 
as he said, to gratify "a long-cherished desire to pur- 
sue certain theological and literary studies, and to 
accomplish certain work in that line." 

Peculiarly significant and worthy of preservation 
are the words in which Dr. van Dyke, in his letter to 
the session on this subject, set forth his own ideal "of 
the true mission and purpose of the church, his con- 
ception of the true history and spirit of Presbyte- 
rianism in its relations to the catholic kingdom of 
Christ, his belief that order and beauty in the wor- 
ship of God are thoroughly consistent with true piety, 
his desire to dwell on the great essential points of 
faith which are common to all Christians, rather than 



386 THE BRICK CHURCH 

on minor doctrinal differences and traditional ques- 
tions of conduct, his faith that the mission of the 
church to minister to the distinctively religious wants 
of all the people is unchanged and that it must be 
fulfilled in adaptation to the circumstances of the age, 
and that its success depends more upon the spirit and 
effort of the whole church than upon the minister." 

Dr. van Dyke's offer to resign took the officers 
completely by surprise, and indeed, filled them with 
consternation. It need hardly be said that they 
"affectionately and unanimously" assured him of 
their complete unwillingness to join in any course 
that would tend toward a severance of the relation 
between them. They stated in the most emphatic 
terms "their opinion that there had not been within 
many years past so much reason for both pastor and 
session to feel encouraged and satisfied with the pros- 
pects of the church," and they especially reassured 
him, by a strong declaration, that any fear of a lack 
of sympathy with his purposes and aims, on the part 
of officers or congregation, was "entirely unfounded 
and imaginary." This answer brought instant con- 
viction to Dr. van Dyke that his work in the Brick 
Church should be continued. No other consideration 
could outweigh in his mind her needs, clearly ascer- 
tained. "Honestly," he had said, "I love the church 
better than life," and he took up his ministry again 
with joy and confidence. 

The second appearance of the same danger eight 
years later, in 1893, was more serious, because the 
ill health, which Dr. van Dyke had then experienced 
for some time, made him feel that it was almost im- 
perative for him to embrace the opportunity of less 



REJUVENATED 387 

arduous service, offered in a call to a professorship in 
Andover Seminary. That the strain of the con- 
stantly enlarging work of the church was seriously 
affecting their pastor's health, had been realized 
with concern by the session before this time, and 
special arrangements had been made to lighten the 
burden, including ministerial assistance * and leave 
of absence. Still further measures of the same sort 
were now proposed. Any possible expedient by 
which their beloved pastor could be assisted and 
strengthened in his work was welcomed by them, but 
of his resignation they would not hear, and their will 
once more prevailed. 

At this result no surprise will be felt after reading 
the session's resolution on this subject, which shall 
be given in full : 

"Resolved, that Dr. van Dyke be requested to at 
once and forever dismiss all thought of a call to 
Andover or to any other place. If he desires other 
assurance of the affection of the church and of its de- 
votion to him, it will be given at any time, at all times, 
and in any way that will best satisfy him of the 
depth and sincerity of our feeling. 

"We have never doubted that God sent Dr. van 
Dyke to us. We believe that it is his divine will that 
Dr. van Dyke shall remain with us. We resent all 
efforts to detach him from us. We are his people. 
Will he leave us without the pastor of our choice? 
God forbid. 

"To the providence which has smitten his health 

* For a time Dr. van Dyke had preached on Sunday mornings only, 
the afternoon service and the prayer-meeting being conducted with great 
acceptance by Dr. Henry M. Booth. 



388 THE BRICK CHURCH 

we bow submissively, but we cannot let Dr. van 
Dyke go. He has endeared himself to all, young 
and old, high and low. Here his lot has been cast: 
here is opportunity for a career, for work in and out 
of the church, work for our own particular church, 
for the Church at large, and for the cause of Christ 
and his kingdom, beyond what is possible elsewhere. 

"Resolved, therefore, that from sincere conviction 
of duty we beg Dr. van Dyke immediately to decline 
any further consideration of the Andover call, and 
that Messrs. Parsons, Ledoux, and Odell be ap- 
pointed to present this action to Dr. van Dyke and 
to press it upon him." * 

We must now return to the earlier years of the pas- 
torate and observe in more detail some of the labors 
whose results have already in a general way been 
indicated. 

Two enterprises, undertaken almost simultane- 
ously in 1885, indicate in a suggestive way the 
diversity of the labors into which Dr. van Dyke had 
thrown himself. These were an evangelistic cam- 
paign and the task of paying off a debt of some 
$15,000 which the church was carrying. The 
former, which took the shape of a special series of 
Sunday evening services, not only was a valuable 
stimulus to the Brick Church itself, f but "resulted 

* Resolutions were passed by the congregation expressing the same 
confidence and affection, refusing to let him go, and providing for indefinite 
leave of absence and regular assistance in the pastoral work on his return. 

t They were continued throughout the season, the usual afternoon 
services being discontinued in their favor, and in February and March 
were varied by a special course of sermons preached by the following well 
known clergymen: the Rev. Drs. L. T. Chamberlain, R. S. Storrs, James 
McCosh, J. M. Bulkley, F. L. Patton, James S. Mcintosh and Lyman 
Abbott. 



REJUVENATED 389 

in an evangelistic movement throughout the whole 
Presbytery in the following year." * The raising 
of the debt, in which the pastor took vigorous 
part, not only was achieved in less than a year's 
time, but ran $1,000 beyond the mark that had been 
set. 

Meanwhile the regular services of the church had, 
under Dr. van Dyke's guidance, taken on a new 
character and had acquired a new importance in the 
religious life of the city. Of the preaching to which 
the Brick Church listened in those days, something 
has been already said. Not often have a people 
been privileged to hear Sunday after Sunday such 
a series of strong, clear, and compelling sermons, 
each one rising, as it seemed, to a greater height 
than the one before, and all aimed, with peculiar 
singleness of purpose, to express and enforce the 
greatest Christian truth, and to reach the hearts and 
wills of the hearers, as well as their minds, in the in- 
terests of Christian living. 

In the worship of the church the influence of Dr. 
van Dyke was as clearly felt as in the preaching. 
Under his direction the order of service was rear- 
ranged and enriched. The Psalter was placed in the 
pews in 1891. A new hymn-book took the place of 
"The Sacrifice of Praise," now out of print, and 
much attention was given to the music, f A special 
endeavor was made to extend a genuine welcome to 
the strangers who now attended the services in large 
numbers, and so thoroughly was this matter taken 

* "An Historic Church," p. 27. 

t It was rendered by a quartette under the direction of Mr. Carl Florio, 
organist. 



390 THE BRICK CHURCH 

to heart that Dr. van Dyke, in 1893, could say, ** You 
have completely lived down an undeserved reputa- 
tion of coldness, so that now your true hospitality is 
known unto all men, and there are many strangers 
within your gates to remember the Sabbath day 
with you in the joy of a warm and generous Christian 
fellowship." * 

The Wednesday evening service came in for its share 
in the church's revival. How this was accomplished 
the following circular, issued in October, 1889, will 
show better than much explanation. 

"You are cordially invited to spend an hour out 
of your busy week in the study of the Bible with us, 
and in social worship. The meetings will be held on 
Wednesday evenings at eight o'clock, and this is 
what we hope to do : 

"First, we shall sing together for a little time, not 
in a formal way, but as we often sing on Sunday 
evenings in our homes; and those who wish may 
suggest beforehand to the leader their favorite 
hymns. 

"Then we shall pray together for a little time, for 
the things that we really need and want, and for the 
Church of Christ, and for our fellow-men; but no 

* Several significant additions to the regular services of the church 
were made during this period. In 1885, at the special request of the pas- 
tor, it was decided to keep the church open all summer, a custom that, 
with a few interruptions for special reasons, has been followed ever since. 
In 1888, a service was held in the church on the morning of Christmas 
Day. In 1891, a service was announced for the Friday preceding Easter, 
but it is interesting to observe that the name "Good Friday" was avoided 
in the notice. A special appeal from the pastor urged all the members of the 
congregation to make an effort to attend. No allusion whatever to "East- 
er "was made in the printed announcements for Easter Sunday that year, 
though the day was doubtless recognized in the sermon and the music. In 
1893, an "Easter Service" in the Sunday-school was announced by name. 



REJUVENATED 391 

one will ever be asked to lead in prayer unless the 
minister knows that he is willing to do so. 

"Then we shall study together for a little time; 
and the subject during this winter will be the life of 
St. Paul. . . . Every week a paper will be distrib- 
uted giving an outline of what the minister is to 
speak about on the following Wednesday. ... If 
any suggestions or difficulties occur to you during the 
week, the minister begs that you will make a note of 
them and send them to him beforehand. You may 
feel very sure that they will be welcome; and you 
may feel equally sure that you will not be called upon 
to answer any questions in the meeting, if that would 
embarrass or displease you. 

"You can easily understand, then, what it is we 
want to do with this Wednesday evening hour. It 
is to make it a little less formal and more really useful 
and helpful and pleasant. It will not be merely a 
feeble copy of a Sunday morning service; it will be 
a common-sense meeting, in which we can come 
closer together in our study of the religion of the 
Bible and the Christianity of Christ. . . ." * 

One immediate result of the meetings thus an- 
nounced was a movement to change the character 
of the room in which they were held — "the lecture- 

* This programme for the mid-week service was only one of those 
adopted during this decade, the danger of too long a continuance of " one 
good custom" being realized. Thus in December, 1892, the following plan 
was adopted, having been proposed by Dr. van Dyke: "The first Wednes- 
day evening in each month, a meeting in the interest of missions; the 
second Wednesday evening, a lecture or Bible study; the third Wednesday 
evening, a conference meeting; the fourth Wednesday evening, a lecture 
or Bible study; the fifth Wednesday evening, a conference meeting." Two 
elders and a committee of the men of the congregation were to "aid the 
pastor in carrying out the details of the plan." 



392 THE BRICK CHURCH 

room" as it was called — and to make it, like the 
meetings, "a little less formal and more really useful 
and helpful and pleasant." Without any expense to 
the trustees a committee of the laymen removed the 
old set pews and the pipe organ, which had made 
the room a sort of little church, and provided instead 
a large open room, whose simple, cheerful decor- 
ation, movable chairs, inconspicuous platform, and 
piano for the singing, made such a meeting as 
Dr. van Dyke projected much more easy and nat- 
ural. 

What the practical Christian activities of the con- 
gregation were during this period is compactly stated 
in the historical sermon of 1893, already several times 
quoted. "Ten years ago," said Dr. van Dyke, "your 
home Sunday-school was dying; there were, perhaps, 
ten children in it; two faithful teachers and a loyal 
assistant superintendent watched by its bed. To- 
day it is a vigorous little school of about a hun- 
dred members, well equipped for work, growing, 
and sending out generous contributions to missions 
and a steady supply of teachers for your branch 
Sunday-school of seven hundred members in West 
Thirty-fifth Street. * Ten years ago your Deacon's 
Fund for the care of the poor was in debt $500 ; to-day 

* This resurrection of the Sunday-school was one item in the long and 
varied service rendered to the church by Dr. Albert R. Ledoux. Upon his 
resignation of the office of superintendent of the school in 1892, the session 
in a resolution declared that they "accept with regret Dr. Ledoux's resig- 
nation. . . . and that they place upon record their grateful sense of the 
large value of the service he has rendered to the church in this office for the 
last ten years, strengthening its spiritual life, and bringing its young people 
into close and living connection with the work and worship of the church. 
For this work so faithfully and so quietly done the session would express 
the thanks of the church to Dr. Ledoux." 



REJUVENATED 393 

it has an emergency fund of nearly $1,000. Ten years 
ago there were two active working societies in connec- 
tion with the church; to-day there are eight: The 
Woman's Employment Society,* The Industrial 
School, t The Woman's Home Missionary Society, % 
The Woman's Foreign Missionary Society,^ The Sick 
Children's Aid Society, The Young People's Guild, 
The Woman's Prayer-Meeting, The Pastor's Aid Soci- 
ety. You have sent out a missionary of your own to 
China. You have supported a missionary of your own 
in the City Mission, and two visitors among the poor. 
You have sent thousands of poor children into the 
country in the summer time. You have contributed 
$10,000 as a memorial offering to the Presbyterian 
Board of Relief for Disabled Ministers. You 
have established a flourishing free kindergarten II 
among the poor of the city. . . . During these 
ten years your total contributions for the sup- 
port of the gospel and the work of Christianity in 
this city and throughout the world amount to about 
$390,000. And your gifts for home and foreign 
missions, as reported in the minutes of the General 
Assembly, have risen from $3,000 a year in 1883, to 
$6,000 a year in 1892. It is your hope and expecta- 
tion to do more in the future, but for the past you 
thank and bless God who has prospered your labors 
and given to you so liberally that you have been en- 

* See above, p. 329. 

t That is, the sewing-school in West Thirty-fifth Street. See above, 
p. 345. 

t Founded in 1886. 

§ Founded in 1884. 

II The Murray Kindergarten in West Thirty-fifth Street, organized 
under the direction of the N. Y. Kindergarten Association, by the women 
of the Sick Children's Aid Society. See above, p. 354 note. 



94 THE BRICK CHURCH 



oy'i< 



abled to do something for his kingdom and for 
your fellow-men." * 

Of the numerous societies mentioned in Dr. van 
Dyke's summary two or three deserve a more ex- 
tended mention. 

The Sick Children's Aid Society was the out- 
growth of that other organization with a somewhat 
similar name which, as we have seen, had been 
founded in Dr. Murray's time, but subsequently had 
more or less declined, because the boys and girls who 
originally composed "The Children's Society," grew 
up in the process of time, and there did not seem to 
be others in the church to take their place. Their 
work, however, whose purpose was to minister to the 
children connected with the mission, especially those 
who were sick, was not abandoned. The children of 
the society had always been directed by their moth- 
ers and other older women, and by these the work was 
carried on. There was an intermediate period during 
which the society hardly knew whether to regard itself 
as a children's organization or merely as an organiza- 
tion that worked for children — this transition state is 
indicated in the records by an evident uncertainty in 
regard to the society's name, which appears now as 
the Sick Children's Society and again as the Chil- 

* "An Historic Church," pp. 27-30. In introducing this summary of 
the7decade's achievements, Dr. van Dyke had said: "It is the custom of 
ministers, in preaching their anniversary sermons, to give an account of 
their labors, to tell how many discourses they have delivered, how many 
visits they have made, how many baptisms, weddings and funerals they 
have performed. I shall not follow this custom, for I do not feel I have 
done anything to speak of. I will only confess that I have worked hard, 
both from necessity and from inclination. But my purpose to-day is to 
tell what you have done during these ten years, for this is your church 
and you have made it what it is." p. 25. 



REJUVENATED 395 

dren's Aid Society — but finally, at the time of Dr. 
van Dyke's arrival, the transformation had become 
complete, and at his suggestion the work was entirely 
reorganized as a work of the women of the church, 
and called the Sick Children's Aid Society, a com- 
bination of the earlier tentative titles, and the name 
under which this beautiful work has ever since been 
carried on. * 

At about the same time, it may here be parentheti- 
cally observed, a new organization was created for the 
boys and girls, and in order that it might not be 
avoided by the older ones among them, who might 
object to being classified as "children," it was dip- 
lomatically called the Young People's Guild. Its 
work resembled that of the earlier children's society, 
— the dressing of dolls, the making of garments, the 
pasting of scrap-books, the holding of an annual fair 
— and it continued to exist until 1895. 

But to return to the related organization among 
the older women. Soon after it had begun work 
under the new name, the need arose to procure a 
visitor to take the place of Miss Griffiths, who had 
died in the service. The Sick Children's Aid Society 
determined to assume responsibility for her salary, 
and secured the services of Miss Mary Ziesse. f To 
this devoted worker, whose ministry has continued to 
the present time, the success of the work has been in 

* Among those who joined in the reorganization of the society were 
Mrs. W. D. Barbour, Mrs. James F. Bills, Mrs. C. R. Blakeman, Mrs. L. D. 
Bulkley, Mrs. M. P. Corning, the Misses Harmer, Mrs. D. J. Holden, Miss 
Louise Knox, Mrs. A. R. Ledoux, the Misses Martin, Mrs. Alexander 
McLean, Miss Anna Olyphant, Mrs. Robert Olyphant, Miss Susan Parish, 
Miss Porterfield, Miss Roberts, Mrs. W. T. Shedd, Mrs. van Dyke, Mrs. 
A. A. Wilson. 

t She began work on January 1st, 1885. 



396 THE BRICK CHURCH 

a large measure due. Her "untiring faithfulness and 
discriminating good sense" * were early recognized 
and have constantly called for grateful acknowl- 
edgment, t 

The special work undertaken by the Sick Chil- 
dren's Aid Society is indicated with suflScient clear- 
ness by its name, but the service actually rendered 
was limited by no set boundary. Beginning with 
ministry to sick and destitute children connected with 
the West Side Sunday-school — the provision of 
food and medicine and medical attendance, and the 
arrangements for summer outings in the country — 
the visitor soon discovered all sorts of other needs by 
the way, and wherever a need was met the effort was 
made to meet it. If a family was found to be in- 
sufficiently clothed, garments were provided. The 
summer outings were extended to include not only the 
mothers with their babies, but working girls, who 
were neither "children" nor "sick" but none the 
less in need of this service. At Christmas and Thanks- 
giving the society adopted the custom of providing 
dinners for worthy poor families. Mothers' meetings 
were organized; a station of the Penny Provident 
Fund was opened; a kindergarten, as we have seen, 
was established. There was no telling to what new 
enterprise the energies of this vigorous society 
might not be directed. And all the time its blessed 

* "Year Book, 1888-1889," p. 27. 

t No one person has known the people connected with the West Side 
work of the Brick Church — men, women, and children — during the past 
twenty years, as thoroughly as Miss Ziesse has, nor would it be easy to tell 
of how many of them she has been the best friend. In addition to her 
work as visitor she has had charge of several important departments of the 
work. 



REJUVENATED 397 

work of personal visitation was going on from day 
to day — hundreds, sometimes literally thousands, of 
visits in the course of a year. 

The Pastor's Aid Society, another of the new 
agencies in the list given a few pages back, was organ- 
ized by the men of the church at the very beginning of 
Dr. van Dyke's pastorate, for the purpose of giving 
assistance to him by furnishing teachers in both the 
home and branch Sunday-schools and to aid in any 
other work that might present itself. It was thus a 
successor of the similar organizations started in the 
time of Dr. Hoge and during Dr. Bevan's pastorate, 
but it was destined to run a much longer course. 

As might have been expected, its labor increased 
as time passed. In 1887, we find it carrying on its 
work through five committees, including one on 
"charities," * and one on " strangers." f At this 
time monthly meetings were held at the parsonage or 
some other private house, and included an address 
by one of the members or by a friend from outside. J 
Subsequently the meetings were held at the church 
rooms and were "entirely social and informal in 
their character." In the report for the year 1889- 
1890, the following matters are mentioned as having 
been discussed and acted upon: "the transformation 
of the Wednesday evening prayer-meetings into a 
most valuable course of Bible instruction; the change 



* For rendering aid to the sick, persons out of employment, etc. 

t This included the ushering at the church services. 

t The first recorded list of subjects (for the season 1886-1887) is inter- 
esting: "The Subway Commission and its Work," by Dr. A. R. Ledoux; 
"East and West" (historical), by Prof. WiUiam M. Sloane; "Bohemia, 
Its People, and Their Religious Work in this Covmtry," by Rev. Vincent 
Pisek; " Things in Heaven Above and Below," by Mr. W. S. Oilman. 



398 THE BRICK CHURCH 

from pulpit notices to the publication of a weekly 
bulletin of announcements ; * the adoption of better 
methods of welcoming occasional visitors to the 
church services; the alteration and improvement of 
the chapel and the charitable disposition of the re- 
placed furniture ; the interchange of information with 
a view to obtaining positions for unemployed per- 
sons; the voluntary and unremunerated assistance ren- 
dered by our doctors and la^A^ers to the suffering and 
wronged poor" — from which enumeration it will be 
evident that several of the important enterprises men- 
tioned in an earlier portion of this chapter were either 
originated or furthered by the Pastor's Aid Society. 

The most interesting single event of the decade 
under discussion remains to be described. It con- 
cerned the work which had grown out of the mission 
Sunday-school on the West Side. This work, which 
from the beginning had taken a chief place in the 
hearts of the Brick Church people, and which at 
some periods of discouragement had been the one 
really bright and hopeful feature of the church's life, 
continued to hold its place of importance after Dr. 
van Dyke's arrival. In 1885, the cost of maintaining 
the whole group of enterprises on West Thirty-fifth 
Street was between four and five thousand dollars, 
from which it will be evident to what large propor- 
tions the work had grown. 

In 1888 it appeared to many, especially to the pas- 
tor of the mission, Mr. Lampe, that the time had 
come when the chapel, which was gradually being 
prepared for independence, as has already been re- 

* A most valuable part of the machinery of the church, edited with 
great faithfulness and skill for many years by Mr. C. M. Bergstresser. 



REJUVENATED 399 

lated, should now be organized as a church. The 
Brick Church session were disposed to view this 
measure with favor and took up with patience the 
devising of a plan by which the evident difficulties 
incident to such a step might successfully be met. 

The problem was to secure to the new church the 
advantages of a genuine independence, without en- 
dangering through possible mismanagement the large 
interests of the kingdom which were involved. To 
effect the merely ecclesiastical part of the separation 
was easy enough. It was merely necessary to organ- 
ize a new church according to the prescribed form 
and dismiss to it the chapel members of the Brick 
Church, some three hundred and fifty in number. 
Beyond this point the way was not so clear. 

Should the management of the Sunday-school, for 
instance, be turned over to the new church, or re- 
tained by the Brick Church session.^ In spite of 
considerable discontent among Mr. Lampe's people, 
the latter course was firmly insisted upon. A 
second question concerned the future ownership 
of the property involved, though this could hardly 
be called a question, for the Brick Church held that 
a surrender of its rights and duties in that connec- 
tion was not to be thought of ; and the wisdom of 
this position was strikingly proved almost at once by 
the discovery of a strong disposition on the part of 
Mr. Lampe and his congregation to leave the neigh- 
borhood of West Thirty-fifth Street altogether and 
migrate to some point farther uptown. Had they 
had a deciding voice in the matter, this undoubtedly 
would have been attempted. 

The third question, and the one that most ad- 



400 THE BRICK CHURCH 

mitted of debate, concerned the future relation of the 
Brick Church to the support of the independent con- 
gregation. A chief object of the whole plan, of 
course, was to encourage and hasten complete self- 
support. It was felt that, as long as the older and 
stronger church held itself responsible for the ongo- 
ing of the work, there would be but little incentive to 
the daughter organization to shoulder the burden in 
earnest. Could not provision be made, in connection 
with the granting of ecclesiastical independence, for 
the speedy achievement of financial independence also.^ 
With this object in view it was proposed that, be- 
ginning with $2,000 for the current year, * the Brick 
Church contribution should be $300 less for the year 
following, and should be decreased by $400 annu- 
ally thereafter until discontinued altogether, as 
would occur, according to this plan, in the course of 
six years. Not unnaturally Mr. Lampe's congrega- 
tion took fright at this rapid promotion to complete 
responsibility, and expressed themselves as unable 
to accept these conditions. A new proposal was 
then made by the Brick Church to the effect "that 
the amount already raised this year, as suggested in 
the former proposition, should be paid, and for the 
year 1889 the sum of $1,850 ; and that on or before the 
first day of January, 1890, a new arrangement should 
be entered into, based upon the prospects of the new 
enterprise, as they should then appear." This prop- 
osition was at once unanimously accepted, "the com- 
mittee of the mission further pledging themselves to 

* It should be borne in mind that this provided for the expenses of the 
new church only; the Sunday-school, sewing-school, etc., were still to be 
supported directly by the Brick Church. 



REJUVENATED 401 

make every effort in their power to raise as large a 
sum as possible." * 

On June 6th, 1888, the session accordingly au- 
thorized the clerk to issue, to the three hundred and 
forty-six members worshipping at the chapel, letters 
of dismission to the new church, when it should be 
organized. They also nominated six elders and four 
deacons, and they recommended that the new church 
adopt the name "Christ Presbyterian Church in the 
City of New York." On the same evening Christ 
Church was duly organized by the committee of 
Presbytery, and Mr. Lampe was chosen as the pastor. 

Thus was completed an undertaking in which the 
Brick Church, disregarding its own feeling in the 
matter, and seeking with singleness of purpose to act 
for the best interests of those who had formed its 
mission and of the Church at large, had set an ex- 
ample of unselfishness and established a precedent 
in the management of so-called "mission" enter- 
prises, whose influence has been far-reaching. The 
new and peculiar relationship was not always, it 
must be acknowledged, free from its perplexities in 
succeeding years. Misunderstanding and friction 
occasionally made their appearance; and time and 
the grace of God were needed to show the full possi- 
bilities of fellowship and mutual service, which were 
presented by this league of two" affiliated " f churches. 

* In 1890 the sum contributed by the Brick Church was $1,600. In 
1891 and again in 1892 it had been reduced to $1,350. After that this item 
being merged apparently in the expenses of the branch Sunday-school, 
cannot easily be ascertained. 

t This name was not used at the beginning. References to Christ 
Church in the records commonly employ the term " Auxiliary " until 1894, 
when the more fraternal word begins to take its place. 



402 THE BRICK CHURCH 

In a later chapter we shall arrive at the period when 
at length patience had her perfect work. 

It would carry us too far afield to notice in detail 
the share which the Brick Church pastor was taking 
at this time in the larger movements of the Presby- 
terian Church. It must suffice to say that in this 
period the question of a revision of the Presbyterian 
standards was being vigorously discussed, and 
especially that the Church w^as called to go through 
a severe experience in a famous trial for heresy before 
the New^ York Presbytery, afterward appealed to the 
General Assembly. In both these matters, Dr. van 
Dyke took a prominent and influential part, and, 
what is here most important to note, his influence, 
due primarily to his own acknowledged wisdom and 
personal power, was greatly increased by the fact 
that he spoke and acted as the minister of a church 
which had taken its place in the front rank of the 
churches of the denomination. In short. Dr. van 
Dyke's ideal, as he set it before himself in the be- 
ginning of his pastorate, had been realized in full 
measure: the Brick Church was now once more an 
acknowledged leader in the work of the kingdom 
of Christ. 

But no sooner was the fulfilment of this purpose 
in sight, than another came forward to take its place. 
It was not enough to make strong the church's posi- 
tion in the present; the future must also be provided 
for, that future in which the northward movement 
of population, responsible already for one change in 
the location of the church, would make it increas- 
ingly difficult to maintain a strong church on Mur- 
ray Hill. ''Endowment" was the word that seemed 



REJUVENATED 403 

to point out clearly the next problem for the church 
to face and solve, and this, it is important to notice, 
constituted the practical application of Dr. van 
Dyke's tenth anniversary sermon, from which quo- 
tations have been freely taken for the material of 
this chapter. * 

"Let us provide for the future," he said, "by tak- 
ing measures at once to secure the permanence of 
this historic church where it now stands, in the 
centre of the city, as a tower of strength, a landmark 
— nay, better than that, a light-house, a source of 
saving illumination, through the coming years. . . . 
There is very little that endures in this city ; localities 
are altered, houses vanish; how beautiful it would be 
to think that this house, where you and those whom 
you love have prayed and communed with God, 
shall not vanish, but that in the distant years others 
shall come, and kneel here, and say in their hearts, 
* Here my father and mother, here my grandparents, 
here those whose memory I love and cherish, wor- 
shipped and served the living God!' How beautiful 
it would be, to think that the influences of grace 

* The church up to this time had practically no invested funds, nor did 
it own other land than that which it actually used in its work. A few 
small legacies had, from time to time, been received. Early in the nine- 
teenth century a few hundred dollars had been bequeathed by William 
Irving, father of Washington Irving, and Ebenezer Turwell (or Turrell). 
The Catharine Ryan legacy for the use of the charity scholars has al- 
ready been mentioned (p. 210). In 1847, Mr. Colin Read bequeathed 
$5,000 to the Brick Church to be used in aid of candidates for the ministry. 
After 1873, in accordance with the more modern view that theological 
students should not be taught to regard themselves as objects of charity, 
the interest from this fund has been paid to divinity students (usually of 
Union Theological Seminary) in return for services rendered in the Sun- 
day-school on the West Side. In 1876, a bequest of $5,000, whose interest 
should be used for the mission school, was received from Mr. Peter Naylor, 
Mr. John C. Tucker, who died in 1892, left $1,000 for a similar purpose. 



404 THE BRICK CHURCH 

should flow from this place forever, and the gospel 
of Christ be preached here to all comers." * 

A partial accomplishment of the purpose thus 
expressed was speedily to be achieved in an unex- 
pected manner, not by the gathering of individual 
subscriptions for an endowment fund, but by the in- 
corporation into the Brick Church of another distinct 
church of Christ, whose property would make at 
least a substantial beginning of the endowment 
needed. Wiat this event signified, however, and 
how much greater treasure than that of money the 
Church of the Covenant brought into the Brick 
Church in 1894, can be appreciated only after some 
account has been given of the Covenant people and 
what they stood for, and the work they had been 
doing. To give this will be the purpose of the next 
chapter. 

♦ "An Historic Church," pp. 36-38. 



CHAPTER XXII 

THE CHURCH OF THE COVENANT: 

1862-1894 

" I will make an everlasting covenant with you." — Isaiah, 55 : 3. 

" Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall 
not be forgotten." — Jeremiah, 50 : 5. 

"A church, after all, is a sort of religious home; its peculiar offices and attach- 
ments are largely domestic in their character; its members are a Christian family, 
bound together by ties of Christian sympathy, labor, and fellowship." — Geoege L. 
Prentiss, "Eleven Years of the Church of the Covenant," 1873, p. 28. 

IN the fall of the year 1860 were taken the first 
steps which led to the formation of the Church 
of the Covenant. * Dr. George Lewis Prentiss, 
formerly pastor of the Mercer Street Presbyterian 
Church, had just returned from a two years' absence 
in Europe, made necessary by ill health, f He came 
back restored in vigor, and a number of his friends 
and former parishioners immediately began a move- 
ment for the establishment of a new church on Mur- 
ray Hill with Dr. Prentiss at its head. Like the 

* The history contained in this chapter will be told, wherever possible, 
in the words of those who were the leading figures in it. 

t Dr. Prentiss was born in Gorham, Maine, May 16th, 1816. He was 
graduated from Bowdoin College, studied later in New York and in Europe 
for several years. In 1845 he was ordained and installed as pastor of the 
South Trinitarian Church of New Bedford, Mass., and shortly after mar- 
ried Miss Elizabeth Payson of Portland. In 1850 he accepted a call to the 
Second Presbyterian Church of Newark, N. J., as associate pastor, but a 
few months later resigned to take the pastorate of the Mercer Street 
Church in New York, which he served until compelled by illness to resign 
in 1858. 

405 



406 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Mercer Street Church, of which it was practically an 
offshoot, it was to be a Presbyterian Church of the 
New School, which accounts for the choice of a loca- 
tion so near to that of the Brick Church. 

The beginning of the movement is described for 
us by Dr. Prentiss himself.* "The first religious 
service," he says, ''which issued in the organization 
of the Church of the Covenant w^as held in the chapel 
of the Home of the Friendless, in Twenty-ninth 
Street near Madison Avenue, on the last Sunday in 
November, 1860. It had been decided upon, after 
much thought, and was the result of a strong and 
general conviction, that a new Presbyterian church 
was needed uptown in the vicinity of Murray Hill. 
... But although the movement itself was felt to 
be highly important, the time seemed most unfa- 
vorable for entering upon such a work. In my first 
sermon on the Sunday mentioned (it was, you will 
remember, November 25th, 1860, only tw^o or three 
weeks after the election of Mr. Lincoln, and more 
than four months before the attack on Fort Sumter), 
I thus referred to this point : ' The state of the times, 
I confess, does not, at first thought, seem auspicious 
for the success of our work. Our dear country is in 
the throes of a great trouble; fear is on every hand; 
the most hopeful patriotism is smitten wdth anxious 
forebodings; we know not, we dread to guess, what 
awful calamity may be impending over us. . . . 
But, after all, is such a time as this really unfavorable 
to the beginning of a new^ religious work ? . . . God 
can make the hardest times illustrate all the more 
beautifully at once his own providential hand and the 

* " Eleven Years of the Church of the Covenant, " (1873), pp. 4 ff. 




GEORGE I.. PRENTISS 



CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 407 

munificent temper of his children. "Troublous 
times" are the very ones in which the walls of Zion 
have usually been built ; in which the grandest monu- 
ments of the faith and patience of the saints have 
been erected. . . .' 

"During the spring and summer of 1861, the 
long-gathering storm burst upon the country in all 
its fury. I need only recall the attack on Fort 
Sumter, the great uprising of the people that in- 
stantly followed, and the disastrous defeat at Bull 
Run. As I look back to those terrible days, my sole 
wonder is that we did not disband on the spot. We 
should certainly have done so, had not the movement 
been sustained from the first, not only by strong and 
devoted hearts, but by the special favor of God. 

"In the autumn of 1861, our place of meeting was 
changed to Dodworth's new studio building, on the 
corner of Fifth Avenue and Twenty-sixth Street. 
Here, on the evening of March 21st, 1862, at a meet- 
ing of the congregation, of which Dr. Skinner was 
the moderator, and B. F. Butler, secretary, the 
church was organized, and three ruling elders were 
appointed. * The original members were eighty- 
three in number." ■\ 

The next step was the election of Dr. Prentiss to be 
the pastor, and on May 11th he was installed. Not 
until this time was a name for the new church se- 
lected. "It was a question of some interest," says 
Dr. Prentiss, "what the name should be. A strong 
repugnance was felt to the custom of calling a Chris- 
tian sanctuary, and the Christian people who occu- 

* See Appendix, M, p. 530. 
t See Appendix, L, p. 529. 



408 THE BRICK CHURCH 

pied it, after a street or a corner of a street and 
avenue. To say nothing of the question of taste, the 
historical identity of some of our most important 
churches had thereby, upon the removal of the con- 
gregation to a new locality, been wholly lost to the 
public mind. After a good deal of conversation on 
the subject, we unanimously adopted the Church 
of the Covenant. It has become a name exceed- 
ingly endeared to us and to many all over the 
land." 

The church was now named and duly organized, 
but as yet it had no place of worship of its own, and 
the awful events of the war then raging made diffi- 
cult the decision to enter upon an enterprise which 
would have been far from simple even in a time of 
prosperity. "I shall not easily forget," says Dr. 
Prentiss, "the hour or the incident which led to this 
decision. It was on Tuesday evening, January 6th, 
1863. Somewhat wearied, not to say disheartened, 
by our long waiting and inaction, I called upon a 
friend to talk the matter over with him. To be, or 
not to be — that was the question. . . . *Well,' said 
my friend, 'I believe in work. If you can induce 
two others of the same mind to join with me, I am 
ready to put my hand at once to the plough.'" 

Mr. Benjamin F. Butler was the speaker, and the 
two others were soon secured, Mr. Charles H. Leon- 
ard and Mr. Enoch Ketcham. As a result of the un- 
tiring energies of these three, aided materially by Mr. 
George B. de Forest and Mr. William E. Dodge, the 
lot on the north-west corner of Park Avenue and 
Thirty-fifth Street was secured, and on November 
5th following the cornerstone was laid. 



CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 409 

Of the circumstances of that auspicious service a 
picture is presented -to us by one who was a witness, 
and upon whom the event made a deep impression. 
He recalls "the pleasant autumn afternoon, with the 
heat of summer over, and the city once more made 
cheery by the presence of dear friends and neigh- 
bors; the attractive neighborhood of Thirty-fifth 
Street and Park Avenue — then far less built up than 
now; the fine assemblage of interested and interest- 
ing people gathered upon the church site; the scaf- 
folding of new lumber rising above the crowd and 
elevating those taking part in the brief service ; the 
heartfelt prayer; the profoundly touching hymn by 
the late Mrs. Prentiss, a hymn filled, not only with 
holy aspirations for the new enterprise, but a fine 
sentiment of patriotism that in those days of the war 
for the Union was deeply felt by all present." * The 
chapel was the first part of the building completed 
(in May, 1864), and the church itself was opened 
and dedicated on April 30th, 1865. f 

The congregation thus provided with a home was 
at first small, but it included men and women of 
singularly noble Christian character and unusual abil- 
ity, while the very fact of their small number resulted 
in increased individual effort, and what was still 
more important, in a very strong and intimate union 
of all the members to one another. In a degree 
rarely known in city churches the people of the 
Church of the Covenant constituted one household 

* From an address by Mr. J. Cleveland Cady, delivered December 
16th, 1894, unpublished. 

t The cost of the church, chapel, and adjoining parsonage (completed 
in 1867), including land, organ, and church and chapel furniture, was 
$160,000. 



410 THE BRICK CHURCH 

of faith, bound together by deep personal attach- 
ments, and inspired by a common purpose. 

What this purpose was is well expressed by their 
pastor. "I have observed," he says, "that churches, 
like private Christians, have their peculiar type and 
individuality of character. It was my earnest desire, 
from the first, that this church might be marked by a 
vivid consciousness of the real presence and glory of 
the risen Christ; by simple whole-hearted devotion 
to him as a Friend and a Saviour; and by constant 
growth into his image ; as it was my prayer from the 
first that Christ himself might vouchsafe to dwell in it 
in all the fulness of his grace and truth." All who 
knew the church, who attended its services and 
prayer-meetings, and had opportunity to observe 
the spirit by which the church life was animated, will 
bear witness that the prayer of Dr. Prentiss was in 
no small measure answered. He had warrant for 
his belief, confidently expressed at a later time, that 
"Christ Himself has been veritably present with 
this church, and has wrought in and through it dur- 
ing all these years." 

One of the clearest manifestations of the Master's 
presence was the beginning, almost as soon as the 
Church of the Covenant was itself started, of a mis- 
sion work on the East Side of the city. This important 
step resulted from a young men's prayer-meeting, 
which met once a month on Sunday afternoons under 
the leadership of Mr. J. Cleveland Cady, beginning 
in the fall of 1865. Among those who attended 
soon grew up "a general desire for a field of labor 
especially their own," and after earnest debate they 
decided to start a mission Sunday-school. 



CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 411 

When the time came to find a hall or room where 
the projected school could meet, the best quarters that 
could be found were over a stable at No. 206 East 
Fortieth Street. No doubt pleasanter surroundings 
would have been selected, had they been available, 
yet the friends of the school have often reflected with 
pleasure upon the fact that even in the humble place 
of its origin the Covenant Mission was not unlike its 
Master, whose cradle was a manger. 

At the first meeting * there were twelve teachers 
ready for classes, but only one scholar could be 
found, a singular reversal, it has been pointed out, 
of the text, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the 
laborers are few." These twelve modern apostles, 
however, were not to be discouraged by a small be- 
ginning, and soon they saw more ample results of 
their labors. 

A pleasant picture of the school-room has been 
given us by the man most closely identified with the 
whole enterprise, Mr. Cady, who, except for the first 
few months, has been the school's only superin- 
tendent, f a record of more than forty years of con- 
tinuous and devoted service. J Under his guidance, 
we will take a glimpse at the school as it appeared in 
its early days. " We pass up a rickety flight of stairs, 

* On January 28th, 1866. The following were the officers and teachers 
present: Henry A. Backus, J. Cleveland Cady, Henry A. Crosby, William 
O. Curtis, John C. Eastman, Edward C. Miles, Miss Isabel N. Miles, Miss 
Annie L. Prentiss (afterward Mrs. Henry), William Allen Smith, Miss 
Mallville M. W. Smith (afterward Mrs. McClellan), William R. Sheffield, 
and Charles Woolsey. 

t His predecessor for the brief period named was Mr. Charles Woolsey. 

I Through practically the whole of this time he has been ably seconded 
by his friend and fellow-worker in the Covenant Church, Dr. Charles Otis 
Kimball. 



412 THE BRICK CHURCH 

and along a dark, narrow hall until we come to a 
large low room, seated with settees. This is the home 
of the Covenant Mission. The wide boards of the 
bare floor spring under our feet, owing to a too eco- 
nomic construction, but they are scrupulously neat, 
for the young laborers, however limited their means, 
will not have filth for an environment. The plas- 
tered ceiling is badly cracked and rough with many 
a rude patching. A piano, a little lectern for the 
superintendent, a blackboard, and a banner-case, 
constituted the furniture. This banner-case, of 
stained pine, with its banners, * was of home manu- 
facture, and a marvel of ingenuity and 'boring,' its 
chief decoration being a perforated strip, formed by 
the judicious use of the auger. On the walls are 
some large, brightly colored scriptural scenes, also of 
home manufacture, f These alleged water colors 
have been produced monthly — for the education and 
edification of the children. Near by is the infant 
class-room, about fifteen by twenty-five feet (seated 
with little seats), which three of the male leaders 
have made a marvellous sensation, by painting in red, 
white, and blue. They spent several nights in accom- 
plishing the result, and perhaps never completed a 
more patriotic work." 

It is not difficult to see with how much ardor and 
devotion this enterprise was carried on, nor to believe 
that work thus heartily done brought its own re- 
ward. With a thoroughness that only love could in- 
spire, every detail was faithfully attended to. If the 

* Upon the banners the words of the hymns were stencilled by Dr. 
Kimball, thus obviating the necessity of individual hymn-books. 

t Mr. Cady himself painted them and they are still treasured by the 
echool. 



CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 413 

task was the preparing and teaching of the lesson, it 
was undertaken in a spirit of consecration as a most 
vital service. If it was the guidance of the music, for 
which the school has ever been famous, no pains 
were spared in the selection and arrangement. Or if 
it was only the decoration of the school-room, re- 
ferred to above, the paint-brush was wielded with en- 
thusiasm. 

The outcome was such as might have been ex- 
pected. "The smile and favor of heaven," said Dr. 
Prentiss, "have rested upon this school in a wonder- 
ful manner. Nor is this any matter of surprise ; for it 
has always been carried on reverently, discreetly, 
advisedly, and in the fear of God. No false, sensa- 
tional methods have been followed; no trifling with 
sacred things has been allowed. The children have 
been treated as responsible human beings, gathered 
here, not to be amused, but for the good of their 
immortal souls; not to keep them out of mischief 
and teach them to repeat, by rote, verses of Scripture, 
or even to sing stirring hymns, but to acquaint them 
with Jesus Christ, their Lord and Saviour, and help 
to fashion them into honest, dutiful, serious-minded, 
pious boys and girls. Large numbers have never 
been one of its chief aims. It has wrought upon the 
theory that a school of fifty children, instructed 
and trained in all respects in the right way, will 
bring forth more and better fruit than a school 
of five hundred children, conducted upon false, 
worldly principles. The result is a model Christian 
school." * 

Although, as we are thus told, mere size was never 

♦"Eleven Years," pp. 23/. 



414 THE BRICK CHURCH 

one of the school's chief aims, the growth was steady 
and marked, so that after a few years the need of 
larger and more suitable quarters became urgent. 
In 1870, the members of the Church of the Covenant 
took steps to purchase land and erect a building. 
*'It seemed a great venture, considering the large 
amount which the church had just raised for its fine 
plant on Park Avenue, but the pastor urged that it 
would be a shame for them to worship in such com- 
fort and leave their East Side brethren poorly accom- 
modated. . . . This was the first building of its 
class to consider the matter of beauty and effective- 
ness. Up to this time it had been thought that 
accommodation and shelter were all that was needed 
in such buildings. But this was not the spirit of the 
Church of the Covenant. It desired that the house 
of worship which it erected for its East Side branch 
should be the most attractive place its worshippers 
should find in all the week." * In spite of the great 
difficulty of an undertaking so large in itself and so 
generously conceived, the Covenant people, led by 
their pastor, accomplished their purpose, and in De- 
cember, 1871, the "Memorial Chapel," at 310 East 
Forty-second Street, designed by Mr. Cady and 
adapted most perfectly to the needs of the work, was 
dedicated, f Its name referred to a historic event 

* From an address by Mr. J. C. Cady, quoted in the "Memorial of Dr. 
Prentiss," published by Union Seminary, pp. 13 /. 

t The following "Dedication Hymn" was written for this occasion by 
Mra. Elizabeth Prentiss: 

Thankfully, O Lord, we come 
To this new and happy home; 
Wilt thou not from heaven descend. 
Here to dwell as friend with friend, 
Granting us the wondrous grace 
To behold thee face to face? 



CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 415 

which has already been mentioned in this volume, 
the reunion of the Old and New School Presby- 
terians in 1869. * The new chapel of the Church of 
the Covenant was designed to be a "Memorial" of 
that reunion. 

While the mission Sunday-school was thus prosper- 
ing, the mother church was quietly and steadily grow- 
ing in numbers and influence. In 1873, Dr. Prentiss, 
to whom, in large measure, the church owed its rev- 
erent, liberal, and devoted spirit, resigned his charge 
to accept the Chair of Pastoral Theology, Church 
Polity, and Missionary Work, in Union Theological 
Seminary. 

He had done a great and lasting work in the 
Church of the Covenant. His gentle and affection- 
ate nature, his cultured and scholarly mind, and, 
above all, the wealth of his personal Christian faith, 
had been used by him to implant a living Christianity 
in the hearts of his people. "Religion," as has been 
said of him, "was the great, impelling, controlling 

Teach us here to praise and pray, 
How to live from day to day; 
Teach us who and what thou art, 
Write thy name on every heart; 
Make us pure, and clean, and white, 
Blessed Jesus, in thy sight. 

May the weary here find rest 
On the tender Shepherd's breast; 
May the erring cease to stray, 
Learning here the perfect way 
And the mourner find that here 
Jesus wipes away the tear. 

And when life's short day is o'er, 
And we hither come no more, 
Father, Saviour, loving Friend, 
Guide us to our journey's end; 
Thankful that we often came 
Here to learn thy blessed name. 

* See above, p. 316. 



416 THE BRICK CHURCH 

force of his life and work," * and under his leader- 
ship the Church of the Covenant had, in a marked 
degree, acquired a spirit like his own: religion was 
not merely its sphere of activity, but the vital force 
by which it was moved and directed. Combined with 
his unusual spiritual power, Dr. Prentiss possessed 
also the vigor and determination by which hard, 
practical tasks were carried steadily to their comple- 
tion. His pastorate was begun by the building of the 
church and crowned by the building of the chapel. 
To the end of his life, continuing to live and la- 
bor in New York, he was the church's faithful and 
deeply loved friend, and in his later days he was re- 
garded by his former parishioners with something of 
the affection and reverence that must have been felt 
for the aged St. John at Ephesus. 

The successor of Dr. Prentiss was the Rev. Marvin 
R. Vincent, D.D., w^ho was called from the First 
Presbyterian Church of Troy, and was installed in 
the Church of the Covenant on May 8th, 1873. The 
service thus begun was to continue for fifteen years. 

A graphic characterization of the church and its 
people during this period is provided by Dr. Vincent 
himself. t *'Dr. Prentiss," he says, "had laid solid 
foundations with his Christian culture and his sym- 
pathetic personal ministry. The church was dis- 
tinctly and essentially a family church as distin- 
guished from what is known as a popular church. 
Neither its general character, its ministrations, nor 
its situation invited the crowd which goes to stare 



* Funeral Sermon by DV. Vincent, p. 2S. 

t In an article in the "Evangelist" quoted by Dr. Mcllvaine in the 
eermon preached February 11th, 1894, pp. 21-24. 




MARVIN R. VINCENT 



CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 417 

and to be entertained. But the gospel was faithfully 
preached, the children were gathered into the fold, 
and the church was represented strongly by individ- 
uals in numerous benevolent and philanthropic enter- 
prises. Its internal harmony was perfect. 

"Such a congregation as it was! Representing so 
many different sides of life! Of ministers there were 
Dr. Prentiss and Henry B. Smith and Dr. Eastman, 
Dr. Briggs, Dr. Francis Brown and Dr. Wallace At- 
terbury. Of doctors, Buck's noble head appeared 
under the fourth gallery, and his son, Albert, was 
a little farther down the aisle; Post sat just in front, 
the light through the colored panes falling on his 
full white beard, his Greek Testament in his hand. 
Then there were Noyes and St. John Roosa and 
McLane and Brayton Ball, Henry Walker, Yale, 
Stimson, and Streeter. The lawyers, too, were a 
goodly company : Judge Sutherland was just behind 
Dr. Post; Charles Butler opposite, John P. Crosby 
further down; AVilliam Walter Phelps over on the 
left; Daniel Lord not far from the door; on the mid- 
dle aisle, Charles D. Adams, so early taken away in 
the freshness of his manhood, with all his sterling 
worth and graceful culture. Then Theron G. Strong 
and William G. Choate and William C. Whitney and 
Hugh J. Jewett and W. W. Hoppin and S. J. Storrs 
and Walter Howe and Eugene Smith. And the art- 
ists, too, Mrs. Candace Wheeler and her daughter 
Dora, and Oliver Lay and George Yewell and 
Cleveland Cady. 

"There were the two Scribners, John Blair and 
Charles. There was Charlton T. Lewis and Mrs. 
Elizabeth Prentiss and Whitelaw Reid and Charles 



418 THE BRICK CHURCH 

L. Norton and Edward S. Mead and Stephen 
Walker. And then the business men, the men of 
affairs, William E. Dodge and Joseph R. Skid- 
more sat in adjoining pews. Robert Gordon, with his 
keen Scotch face; all the artists in New York knew 
him. Close behind him William H. Osborn, a large 
man every way; people who had any sham about 
them generally gave him a wide berth. Thomas 
Denny's fine, scholarly face looked up from the front 
pew on the middle aisle. There were Harvey Fisk 
and Calvin Goddard and Charles H. Rogers. There 
were William H. H. Moore and Robert H. McCurdy 
and David McAlpin. There were Enoch Ketcham 
and Joseph Parsons and Marshall Blake. There 
were Charles Trumbull White, the chemist, and 
Mancer M. Backus, the furrier, who would turn from 
selling a sealskin muff or cloak and discuss Greek 
roots, or theology, or mathematics with you at your 
pleasure." 

To complete the picture we must place in the pul- 
pit the dignified figure of Dr. Vincent himself, in 
regard to whose power as a preacher the appreciative 
words of his successor may be quoted: *'No better 
sermons were preached or published in this city than 
those delivered in this pulpit during Dr. Vincent's 
ministry. They were always fresh, thoughtful, sug- 
gestive, marked by spiritual insight and wide schol- 
arship, clothed in a vigorous and beautiful style." * 

Perhaps the most noteworthy event of Dr. Vincent's 
pastorate was the appointment of the first chapel 
pastor, the Rev. Howard A. Talbot, f There had 

* Sermon preached February lltli, 1S94, p. 20. 
t See Appendix R, p. 536. 




INTERIOR OF THE OLD CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 



CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 419 

before been several missionaries connected with the 
chapel work, but in 1875, with Mr. Talbot's appoint- 
ment, the church which we now know as the Church 
of the Covenant began to take definite shape. A few 
months later the custom was inaugurated of celebrat- 
ing the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper at the chapel, 
a significant step in this instance, as we have already 
seen it to be in the parallel development of the mis- 
sion chapel of the Brick Church. 

The direction in which things were movino- has 
been well described by Dr. Vincent.* "Before I 
ceased to be the pastor of the mother church," he 
says, "the chapel congregation had begun to take 
steps toward its own maintenance; and, although 
unable to assume the entire burden, was contributing 
annually a respectable sum. ... It has been from 
the beginning the policy of the workers in this field to 
encourage and develop the ideal and the fact of self- 
support. In the early days ... its work was largely 
among the poor, and a large amount of poverty and 
distress appealed to it for relief. But while such 
appeals were habitually met with a genuine Christian 
compassion and tenderness, they were also met with 
a sound common-sense and with an enlightened con- 
ception of the nature of true helpfulness. While ju- 
diciously assisting the absolutely helpless, it was the 
constant aim to open the way in each case to self-help; 
to provide opportunities for honest labor; to train 
the children so that, in future days, they might com- 
mand remunerative employment, and thus to put 
the poorest into a self-respecting attitude. On this 

* In the "Thirty-fifth Anniversary Sermon," preached January 27th 
1901, pp. 15 /. 



420 THE BRICK CHURCH 

line arose the cooking-school, the sewing-school, and 
the Helping Hand, and along this line were directed 
the ministrations of the Bible readers and of the 
pastor, so far as they had to do with the material 
conditions of the people." 

The fuller extension of this ideal of self-support 
and independence to the organized work of the 
chapel itself was, however, deferred to a later date. As 
Dr. Vincent himself has elsewhere said, * there were 
in the time of his pastorate "many and the best of rea- 
sons" why it was inexpedient to transform the Me- 
morial Chapel into an independent church. The 
accomplishment of that most important undertaking 
belongs to the history of the next pastorate. 

Dr. Vincent resigned his charge in November, 
1887, to become Professor of Sacred Literature in 
Union Seminary; and in December, 1888, his suc- 
cessor was installed, the Rev. James Hall Mcllvaine, 
D.D., who had been called from the Union Church 
of Providence, R. I. 

The new pastor had been on the field but a little 
over a year when it became necessary to secure a new 
leader for the chapel work. Mr. Talbot (1875- 
1881), had been succeeded in turn by the Rev. 
Henry T. McEwen, (1881-1887), and the Rev. 
Edwin E. Rogers (1887-1889). When a successor 
for Mr. Rogers was being sought, it was decided to 
make his position different from that of the chapel 
pastor up to this time. "In reviewing the field," 
says Dr. Mcllvaine, f referring to the time of his 

* In some unpublished reminiscences written for a memorial service at 
the present Church of the Covenant on December 16th, 1894. 

t In an address (unpublished), delivered on November 8th, 1891. 



CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 421 

arrival in New York, "it seemed to me that the pas- 
toral relation [between the chapel minister and the 
Church of the Covenant] was very unsatisfactory. 
The pastor was not installed, . . . only hired by 
a body of men; and I suggested with hesitancy that 
we should change it all, and that the new pastor 
should be associate pastor of the Church of the 
Covenant. To my great delight, the idea was seized 
with enthusiasm." It was on this basis that the 
Rev. George Sidney Webster accepted a call to take 
up the chapel work, and was installed as Dr. Mcll- 
vaine's associate in March, 1890.* 

The aim of this new arrangement was to assert 
emphatically that the Covenant Memorial Chapel 
was not a "mission" in the unworthy sense which 
that name had acquired, that it was not merely an 
inferior, dependent institution, maintained by char- 
ity, but, on the contrary, an important and highly 
honored part of the Church of the Covenant itself. 
As the new associate pastor said a year or so after he 
had begun his work, "This new relation was rather 
a proper recognition of [the chapel] than a change in 
plan or policy of its work. For years a church has 
existed here in all but the name. Now side by side 
with our loving mother church, no longer as a daugh- 
ter, but as a sister beloved, we keep step in our united 
efforts to advance Christ's kingdom in this part of 

* He was born at Meredith, Delaware County, N. Y., July 30th, 1853. 
In 1878 he graduated from Hamilton College, being valedictorian of his 
class. For a year he was professor of Greek in the Seminary at Whitestone, 
N. Y., after which he entered Union Theological Seminary, New York City, 
graduating in 1882. His first ministerial service was as assistant pastor of 
the First Presbyterian Church, in East Orange, N. J., beginning in 1882, 
and ending with his call to the Church of the Covenant, 



422 THE BRICK CHURCH 

our city. Our interests and our sympathies are 
interlinked. We rejoice to-day in God's great mercy 
that has preserved the one Church of the Covenant 
with its two Sunday-schools, its two church build- 
ings, its two congregations, its two pastors." 

The new plan worked well, but not so much, it is 
evident, because of the excellence of the plan, as 
because of the spirit in which it was used. The plan 
indeed, it has been truly said, "was possible only on 
the basis of the most cordial fraternal feeling between 
the church and the chapel. * But that feeling existed 
in a marked degree and was recognized and rejoiced 
in by all concerned. It is pleasant to read the testi- 
mony of the associate pastor, wTitten some years 
later. "The mutual love that maintained and in- 
spired this work," he says, "was both a revelation 
and an inspiration to me," to which he makes the 
special addition: "The two pastors consulted and 
planned and toiled like brothers, and the fraternal 
grip upon each other's hearts has never been lost by 
either of us." "j* Dr. Mcllvaine spoke with equal 

* "A Decade of Work in the Church of the Covenant," a historical 
sermon by the pastor, March, 1900, p. 5. 

t "A Decade of Work," pp. 5/. One concrete instance of the good 
effect upon Mr. Webster's congregation is noted by him in another part of 
this same sermon, preached, it will be remembered, in 1900. " Recall this 
room," he says, "as it looked ten years ago. There are no familiar fur- 
nishings except the clock and the organ and one tablet on yonder wall. 
You then had no communion table and no carpet on the floors, except on 
the pulpit platform and for a little space in front of it. The pews could 
not be praised for comfort or beauty. Cushions were unknowTi. The 
change in ecclesiastical form from a mission chapel to a church suggested 
the need of a change in the churchliness of this interior. This meant 
earnest, self-denying work. We were most lovingly assisted, but this con- 
gregation raised more than half the $4,000 that was expended here in fur- 
nishings and repairs within the first half of this decade." 
A more general statement of the success of this "church in a chapel," as 



CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 423 

emphasis and enthusiasm of the success of the new 
pastoral relation. "The result has justified the 
means," he said, speaking at the chapel in Novem- 
ber, 1891, and added, "I want to say that over at the 
church we are as proud of Mr. Webster as you are." 
Two years later, after a still further test, he again 
affirmed that the relation had been "a most helpful 
and happy one to both congregations." * 

When these words were spoken a still further step 
in the chapel's development had been taken, the step, 
indeed, by which it ceased altogether to be a chapel 
and became a church. The story of that event, 
however, cannot be related in the present chapter, 
and meantime we must become familiar with the 
important developments in the life of the mother 
church by which the chapel's independence was 
largely brought about. 

It may have seemed strange that in narrating the 
story of the Church of the Covenant so large a propor- 



Mr. W ebster called it, may be quoted from an article by him in the " Evan- 
gelist" for April 6th, 1893. "This church," he said, "has one elder and 
two deacons in its congregation, two pastor's assistants, a flourishing Sun- 
day-school, superintended by an elder of the church, a well sustained 
church prayer-meeting, Christian Endeavor Society, Ladies' Association, 
men's meeting. Choral Society, Women's Helping Hand Society, Chil- 
dren's Mission Band, Girls' Sewing-school, Coal Club, and Burial Society. 
Four of these organizations have been started within the past three years. 
Through these activities more missionary work is accomplished than was 
possible under the former conditions. In three years more than five hun- 
dred families have felt in some way the sympathetic throb of church life in 
this chapel, and about ten thousand calls have been made by its pastoral 
force. . . . Without any revival season there have been accessions to the 
church at every communion. There have been received at the chapel on 
confession of their faith 99, and by letter 44; the loss has been, 43 dis- 
missed and 20 died, leaving a net gain in three years of 80 members." 

*"The Church of the Covenant: a Historical Sermon," February 
11th, 1894, p. 33. 



424 THE BRICK CHURCH 

tion of space has been given to the affairs of the 
chapel, but in doing so we have but fallen in with the 
strong feeling of the Covenant people, the feeling that 
of the church the chapel was by far the largest and 
most important single element. It was, however, by 
no means the whole. The life of the church had been 
singularly rich, and fruitful in spiritual and practical 
results. 

Only the briefest sketch of the different depart- 
ments of the work is here possible. The prayer- 
meetings, as many who still live heartily testify, were 
a source of the greatest strength and inspiration, and 
we may quote without qualification a notice of them 
printed in the Covenant Year Book for 1891. *'The 
attendance at these services testifies to the benefit 
derived from them. The spirit and tone of them are 
such as to leave but little to be desired in the way of 
improvement. The brief, thoughtful remarks, the 
earnest, simple prayers, impress all who attend 
them." * 

Of the other most salient features in the church's 
activity a brief account is given us in a sermon 
preached by Dr. Mcllvaine in February, 1894. He 
is looking back over the whole history, but refers 
more particularly to the events and labors of his 
own pastorate and of that of Dr. Vincent. "In addi- 
tion to the pew-rents, which have necessarily been 
high," he says to his congregation, "you have had 
$5,000 a year to raise for the expenses of the church 
and $4,000 a year for the chapel. The burden has 
rested upon a few, and the few have been continually 

* A choir of young people, which led the singing, added much to the 
interest and helpfulness of these services. 




JAMES H. McILVAINE 



CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 425 

becoming fewer, but it has been borne without a 
murmur. During the thirty-two years of your exist- 
ence, you have contributed as a church to religious 
purposes nearly, if not quite, $1,000,000. Fully one- 
half of this has gone into missionary work ; the other 
half to the building and support of the church. And 
this represents but a part, perhaps the smaller part, 
of your gifts. Large contributions have been made 
directly to the boards of the Church by individuals; 
many students have been educated for the ministry 
at private expense; two professorships in Union 
Seminary have been endowed; Olivet Chapel built, 
a day nursery purchased and equipped, and many 
other large gifts have been given by the members of 
this church. * 

"The most efficient agent in the church's work 
has been the Ladies' Church Work Association. 
This society was organized November 6th, 1873, by 
the consolidation of the other missionary and benev- 
olent societies in the church. It has worked for the 
various boards of the Church and for Covenant 
Chapel through one organization. It has main- 

* One other item should be added to this list. It is referred to in the 
same sermon from which the quotation in the text is made, as follows (pp. 
25 /): "The Covenant Church had, from the first, taken an interest in the 
Bohemian mission, and no cause appealed more successfully to its sym- 
pathies. It was after an appeal from the pulpit that the invalid wife of a 
physician said to me, 'Why cannot those people have a church? Why 
cannot the ladies build it? Let us call a meeting at my parlor.' The 
meeting was called. Another meeting followed soon after. The plan w^as 
organized and carried out, and though the funds were not all contributed 
by the Church of the Covenant, its women gave most generously, and one 
of its trustees personally superintended the work until the day when the 
new home was dedicated, without a cent of debt, amid the tears of a 
grateful people. The Bohemian Church owes its church edifice principally 
to the Church of the Covenant." 



426 THE BRICK CHURCH 

tained for twenty years a missionary in Syria, a home 
missionary in the West and South, a Bible-reader, 
a sewing-school, and an employment society at the 
chapel. It has sent fifty boxes of clothing and useful 
articles to the missionaries in the West; it has cut 
out and prepared nearly 1,000 garments yearly to 
be made by poor women, and it has raised and ex- 
pended upward of $80,000 in its work. Another 
efficient society has been the Young People's Mis- 
sion Band. During the fifteen years of its existence 
about $4,500 has been expended by it in good work 
in this city and in foreign lands. The Men's So- 
cial Organization was formed in 1887, and has met 
every two months for literary and social purposes. 
It has been a great help to the church in bring- 
ing its members closer together. 

*'The church Sunday-school was organized a year 
before the church, in the chapel of the Home of the 
Friendless, January 20th, 1861. Mr. E. P. Griffin was 
its first superintendent. He was followed by B. F. 
Butler, L. N. Lovell, W. H. H. Moore, Wm. Seward, 
and Alfred E. Marling. It has never been a large 
school, but it has been a field of most faithful and 
fruitful activity in training up the children of the 
church for their Christian privileges and responsi- 
bilities. Nearly all of its members have come in due 
time to the Lord's table. Thirty-five have so come 
from the Sunday-school during my pastorate." * 

It will have been evident from certain allusions in 
the foregoing review, that, in spite of many elements 
of very genuine success, the church was working 
against unequal odds. In the spirit of worship and 

* "The Church of the Covenant: A Historical Sermon," pp. 29-32. 



CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 427 

service, and in the devotion of its members, many of 
whom had belonged to the church throughout its 
entire history, the Church of the Covenant was strong. 
But its membership was not being proportionately 
renewed, as the older members dropped out. With 
the reunion of the Old and New School Presbyterians 
in 1869, the original reason for the existence of a 
second Presbyterian Church on Murray Hill had 
been removed, and with this change of condition cer- 
tain difficulties, which had already existed, gradually 
became acute. 

Dr. Prentiss, as early as the date of his own resig- 
nation in 1873, had observed with great concern the 
direction in which affairs were tending. In a sermon 
delivered at that time he said that, in reviewing the 
history of the church, nothing had struck him more 
forcibly *'than the incessant change that is going on 
in a New York congregation. 

"I do not refer now," he continued, '*to the 
changes wrought by death, for these are peculiar to 
no time or place, but to those which grow out of the 
present conditions of society, of business, and of re- 
ligious life in this city. My impression is, that the 
changes are more than twice as great and rapid as 
they were when, nearly a quarter of a century ago, 
I came to New York. They are, probably, three or 
four times as great and rapid as they were fifty years 
ago. Half the people you meet with seem like birds 
sitting upon a twig, looking in every direction, and 
ready to fly away on the slightest impulse. In most 
of our churches, it is a constant coming and going; 
some of them, in this respect, resemble large hotels or 
boarding-houses; a few of those who frequent them 



428 THE BRICK CHURCH 

are permanent; the many never continue in one stay. 
In ten years a congregation almost loses its personal 
identity. 

"Since the war, and especially within the past four 
or five years, this feature has become more and more 
marked, the corrupt state of our municipal affairs 
having very much accelerated emigration to the 
country. Our religious interests have suffered ex- 
ceedingly from the latter cause. A large proportion 
of the young men and women, who marry and go to 
housekeeping, leave us; for, unless they are rich, it 
is extremely difficult for them to remain here. Then 
the tide of business is rushing in upon the old centres 
of population and church-life, and driving out all be- 
fore it. Never in this country, rarely in any country, 
has there been such an anomalous and revolutionary 
state of things. In a single generation — ^yea, in less 
than a generation — expensive and beautiful sanctu- 
aries are erected and filled, then forsaken and torn 
down, or else sold, to be converted into theatres, 
stables, and places of trade. In this whirlpool of 
change, the strongest religious society is sometimes 
wrecked. . . . 

"The Church of the Covenant, I suppose, would 
be regarded as composed of more than ordinarily 
stable elements; and yet last year we lost — mostly 
by removal to the country — nearly a tenth of our 
whole congregation and about a sixth of our whole 
Sunday-school." * 

If this was the situation in 1873, we can feel no 
surprise that after twenty more years, during which 
the conditions had grown worse rather than better, 

* "Eleven Years of the Church of the Covenant," pp. 26-28. 



CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 429 

the adoption of some revolutionary change could be 
no longer deferred. "For a number of years," said 
Dr. Mcllvaine, "the future of this church has been 
a subject of increasing anxiety to many of you. The 
situation, beautiful as it is, has never been favorable 
to the development of a strong and popular church. 
It is out of the way, and there are forty Protestant 
churches within a radius of half a mile. The people 
in this immediate neighborhood are identified with 
other churches or indifferent to all churches. To the 
east of us a very small percentage of the population 
is Protestant, and this is needed by the chapels and 
churches there. We have had this whole region 
carefully canvassed and we know it well." * 

The way of escape which, to persons confronted by 
these conditions, would first suggest itself — one that 
has been used by many other New York churches 
similarly placed — was to move the whole organiza- 
tion to a more favorable locality. But another and 
wiser expedient — and an expedient, it must be added, 
which called for far greater self-sacrifice in achieving 
its more useful end — presented itself at just this 
juncture. 

It has already been seen that the Covenant's near 
neighbor, the Brick Church, was at this very time 
beginning to think seriously of the imperative need 
of an endowment for the future continuance of her 
work. The time would almost certainly come, though 
perhaps not for many years, when the Brick Church 
would be in exactly the same position as that in which 
the Church of the Covenant now found itself. Why 
not meet the problems of both churches, the immediate 

* "The Church of the Covenant: A Historical Sermon," p. 34. 



430 THE BRICK CHURCH 

need of the one, the approaching need of the other, 
by uniting forces, the Brick Church thus sharing her 
present prosperity and opportunity, and the Church 
of the Covenant providing, by the sale of her valua- 
ble property, the needed endowment for the united 
work ? 

In the next chapter will be described the steps by 
which this result was accomplished. Meantime it 
must be repeated that the act was, on the part of the 
people and pastor of the Church of the Covenant, 
singularly high-minded and self-forgetful. One can- 
not read without deep feeling the words of the last 
sermon preached in the church on February 11th 
1894: but the feeling is not only one of sympathy, it 
is even more a feeling of great admiration for the 
high motives by which these men were actuated. 

"For nearly a year," said Dr. Mcllvaine, "you 
have had before you the question of union with the 
Brick Church. You have carefully considered every 
other alternative, and with wonderful unanimity, 
without a dissenting voice, you have decided in 
favor of this union. There is no compulsion upon 
you. For a long time you could continue as you are, 
drawing, if necessary, upon your large and valuable 
property. If you consulted only your own inclinations 
you would doubtless much prefer to do so. This 
church is exceedingly dear to you. You have prayed 
and hoped and struggled and sacrificed for its wel- 
fare. It is connected with many of the tenderest and 
most sacred associations of your life. You love its 
very stones and walls, its familiar and homelike ways. 
But you have regarded the question from a higher 
standpoint than that of personal preference. You 



CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 431 

have felt that this property was the Lord's property, 
not yours — that it was a sacred trust committed into 
your hands. You have asked sincerely, conscien- 
tiously, how this trust could be best administered in 
the interests of Christ's cause. It has seemed to you 
that, in the reinforcement and permanent endow- 
ment of the Brick Church this end would be best 
accomplished, that amid all the manifold changes of 
the future, one strong Presbyterian church might be 
secure for the years to come in the centre of this city. 
*'It is the highest law of life that you are thus sub- 
serving. Self-interest, self-preservation, self-asser- 
tion, this is a natural instinct, one of the strong per- 
manent forces which lie at the base of life. But it is 
not the highest. Nothing moves into fulness of 
power, nothing attains the highest end of its being, 
but by the law of self-surrender. Of this law Christ 
himself is the perfect illustration and fulfilment. 
* Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, 
it abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much 
fruit.'" * 

* "The Church of the Covenant: A Historical Sermon," pp. 34-36. 



CHAPTER XXIII 

UNION AND AFFILIATION: 1893-1900 

"And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one 
flesh."— Mar-fc 10 : 8. 

"The union of the Church of the Covenant with the Brick Church has proved to 
be eminently wise and for the best interests of both, and the results, we believe, 
will be for the lasting good of the united people, and for the advancement of the 
cause of Christ in this city." — Minute of Session, January 3d, 1896. 

EARLY in 1893, the proposal to unite the 
Church of the Covenant and the Brick Church 
in the manner described in the last chapter, 
was broached, and began to be considered by the 
officers of both churches. The proposed action, it 
will readily be believed, involved a number of diffi- 
cult problems. To accommodate to one another the 
interests of two fully developed organizations, and to 
bring together two distinct groups of people in a 
union which should be hearty and happy, required 
very careful consideration. There were, moreover, 
certain technical difficulties which must be over- 
come before the plan would be even possible. 

On May 16th, 1893, came a formal communication 
from the session and trustees of the Church of the 
Covenant, definitely proposing a union and asking 
that a committee of the officers of the Brick 
Church be appointed to confer with the Covenant 
representatives and to join with them in reporting a 
plan for adoption by their respective congregations. 

432 



UNION AND AFFILIATION 433 

This was done, and nearly six months were occupied 
in this preliminary work. 

In the fall, tentative plans were submitted and in 
general approved. The questions regarding the 
representation of the Covenant congregation in the 
official boards of the united church, the disposition 
of the Covenant property, and the establishment of 
a double pastorate, were adjusted with satisfaction 
to both sides. Two other elements in the problem 
demanded not only agreement, but certain prepara- 
tory actions, themselves not free from perplexity. 

The first of these was the question regarding the 
future status of the Covenant Chapel. The chapel 
of the Brick Church, it will be remembered, had been 
raised to the dignity of ecclesiastical independence; 
and it was natural to propose that the Covenant 
Chapel should now be put on the same footing. On 
the West Side the experiment had been in the main 
successful, though certain disadvantages and positive 
perils had made their appearance in the years that 
had passed since the organization of the church. 
With certain precautions, therefore, designed to meet 
the difficulties which experience had pointed out, it 
was determined to proceed along these same lines in 
regard to the chapel on the East Side. 

In October, when the question was definitely put 
to Mr. Webster, the chapel pastor, whether, in his 
judgment, it was possible to reorganize his congre- 
gation as a separate and independent church, he 
replied, "Yes, if we can have officers that will com- 
mand the respect and support of the congregation 
they serve." * Four members of the Church of the 

* "A Decade of Work," p. 7. 



434 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Covenant were found who were ready to transfer 
their membership and allegiance to the new church, 
and to assume a portion of its responsibilities. * At 
the same time it was made sure that the cordial sup- 
port formerly given by the members of the old Church 
of the Covenant, both in money and in personal 
service, would be continued. These fundamental 
points having been satisfactorily settled, the new 
church was organized on November 30th, 1893, and 
was called "The Church of the Covenant," in order 
that that dear and familiar name, now to be laid aside 
by the parent organization, might be continued in the 
child. Mr. Webster was installed as pastor on 
January 2d, 1894. 

The second perplexing element in the union 
problem concerned the future standing of the Brick 
Church. It was agreed by both sides that the name 
and historic continuity of that church ought to be 
preserved inviolate, but it was found that under the 
existing law, this could not be assured in such a union 
as was desired. The necessity, therefore, of taking 
preliminary steps to remove this difficulty was clearly 
perceived, and allowance made for it, when, on Jan- 
uary 2d, 1894, the officers of the two churches en- 
tered into the following agreement: 

"Whereas, at meetings of the congregations of the 
said t two churches held on December 19th, 1893, 
resolutions were passed, looking to a union of the two 
churches in such way as will preserve the name, 
ecclesiastical organization, and historic continuity of 

* One of them became the treasurer, while two accepted the oflSce of 
elder and the fourth the office of deacon. 

t The preamble, to which reference is liere made, has been omitted. 




GEORGE S. WEBSTER 



UNION AND AFFILIATION 435 

the Brick Church, such resolutions providing that 
the boards of trustees of the churches be directed and 
authorized to take such legal steps as might be nec- 
essary for the consolidation of the properties of the 
two churches; 

*'Now, therefore, in consideration of the premises 
and of the mutual covenants herein expressed, the 
parties hereto, by their respective boards of trustees, 
have mutually covenanted and agreed, and they 
hereby do mutually covenant and agree, each with 
the other, as follows : 

"First. As soon as the same can be legally accom- 
plished, such proposed union shall, subject to the 
approval of the Presbytery of New York, take place 
upon the following basis: 

"1. The Brick Church shall preserve its name and 
ecclesiastical organization and historic continuity, 
and as such it shall receive into good and regular 
standing the members of the Church of the Covenant. 

"2. The pastor of the Church of the Covenant 
shall become coordinate pastor of the Brick Church, 
with the same salary as that received by the present 
pastor of that church, and the two pastors shall con- 
tinue to be coordinate pastors until the Brick 
Church, after the addition of the members of the 
Church of the Covenant and as thus constituted, 
shall determine differently. 

"3. Six elders from the session of the Church of 
the Covenant, to wit: Henry D. Noyes, M.D., W. H. 
H. Moore, William Warner Hoppin, J. C. Cady, 
Theron G. Strong, and Alfred E. Marling, shall be 
added to the session of the Brick Church. Six dea- 
cons from the Church of the Covenant, to wit, Wil- 



436 THE BRICK CHURCH 

liam O. Curtis, William Seward, Charles O. Kim- 
ball, Charles W. McAlpin, Gerard Beekman Hoppin, 
and Henry N. Corwith, shall be added to the board of 
deacons of the Brick Church. Three trustees from 
the Church of the Covenant, to wit, Joseph H. Par- 
sons, Arthur M. Dodge, and Eugene Smith, shall 
become members of the board of trustees of the 
Brick Church in place of three of the present nine 
members of the board. 

"4. All the property of the Church of the Cove- 
nant * shall be transferred to the Brick Church, sub- 
ject to the encumbrances existing thereon, except 
that the memorial gifts, tablets, and windows in the 
Church of the Covenant may be surrendered to the 
several donors thereof or their legal representatives, f 
Upon such transfer being made, the then unpaid lia- 
bilities of the Church of the Covenant for expenses 
of its maintenance during the current fiscal year 
ending May 1st, 1894, shall be assumed by the 
Brick Church. 

"5. Pews in the Brick Church to the number of 
not less than twenty-five shall be provided for the 
accommodation of the congregation of the Church 
of the Covenant, for which pew-rents shall be charged 
and paid for at the same rate as that applicable to 
the other pews in the church. 

* This, of course, included the chapel. 

t Two of these memorials were subsequently placed in the new Church 
of the Covenant. These were the marble bas-relief representing "Faith," 
originally in the possession of Mr. William Curtis Noyes, and after his 
death in 1864, given by his family to the church of which he had been one 
of the founders; and the baptismal font given by Benjamin F. Butler and 
Robert Gordon in 1876. When the old Church of the Covenant was torn 
down, its corner-stone was transferred to its namesake, where it is set into 
the wall of the vestibule. 



UNION AND AFFILIATION 437 

"6. The work heretofore carried on at the Cove- 
nant Chapel in East Forty-second Street is to receive 
from the Brick Church that cordial sympathy and 
financial support which it has heretofore had from 
the Church of the Covenant. 

''Second. The two churches covenant and agree, 
each with the other, that both will cooperate in an 
effort to obtain from the legislature of the State of 
New York the transfer of the property of the Church 
of the Covenant to the Brick Church, the merger of 
the Church of the Covenant in the Brick Church or 
the union of the two churches, on the basis hereinbe- 
fore stated. 

"They also covenant and agree that they will 
unite in an application to the Presbytery of New 
York for its approval, and that in all other ways they 
will cooperate to the accomplishment of the purpose 
hereinbefore expressed." * 

The desired action of the legislature was obtained 
by an act t passed on March 2d; on the 12th of the 
same month the consent of the Presbytery was given; 
and on April 12th, by the final transfer of the prop- 
erty, the union, which had been first formally pro- 
posed nearly a year before, became an established 
fact. The lot on Park Avenue, with the church and 
parsonage standing upon it, had been sold for 
$315,000 which, after a small deduction for the pay- 

* A third section not here given related to temporary arrangements 
pending the consummation of the plan of union. 

t Providing that the Church of the Covenant, with the approval of 
Presbytery, might "transfer its property, real and personal, by way of 
gift, grant, conveyance, or otherwise " to the Brick Church, and that the 
continued existence of the Corporation of the Brick Church should "not 
be impaired or affected by such transfer." 



438 THE BRICK CHURCH 

ment of outstanding debts, became an endowment 
fund for the work of the Brick Church. * 

The consolidation thus effected proved an un- 
questionable success. Dr. Mcllvaine, for whom, 
perhaps, it had from the beginning involved the 
greatest sacrifice, expressed emphatically his satis- 
faction two years after the event. "The union of 
the former Church of the Covenant with the Brick 
Church," he said, "is now confirmed and estab- 
lished, and the united congregation is working 
smoothly, happily, and efficiently together." 

To the Brick Church, on the one hand, the coming 
of the Covenant people had been a great gain, in 
spiritual and personal power even more than in fi- 
nancial resources. It was like new blood in the 
body, and both in the deliberations of the ofiicial 
boards and in the church's practical work, the effect 
was felt at once. The people of the Covenant, for 
their part, were happy in the change. They had 
made their sacrifice and left it behind them ; and they 

* In May, 1897, a tablet commemorating the union of the two churches 
was placed in the Brick Church vestibule. It is of yellow Sienna marble, 
and was executed from a design by Mr. J. Cleveland Cady. In the border 
appear the mottoes of the old and the new Church of the Covenant, quoted 
as a heading for the preceding chapter of this history (p. 405). The central 
inscription is as follows: 

THE CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 
FOUNDED MARCH 21, 1862 

PASTORS: 

GEORGE L. PRENTISS, D.D., 1862-1873 

MARVIN R. VINCENT, D.D., 1873-1887 

JAMES HALL McILVAINE, D.D., 1888-1894 

UNITED WITH 

THE BRICK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 

APRIL, 1894 



UNION AND AFFILIATION 439 

were heartily prepared to rejoice in the prosperous 
and inspiring Hfe of the united church. * 

There was, it may be said, but one serious 
imperfection in the plan of union as it had been 
carried out, and this was one which had been un- 
avoidable under the conditions by which the union 
had been governed. It was the duplication of the 
office of pastor. 

The existence in a church of two coequal and co- 
ordinate ministers, both of them occupying the same 
position of leadership and holding identical respon- 
sibilities, must always be an arrangement fraught 
with peculiar difficulty. Something of this sort had 
been tried by the New York Presbyterians in the 
eighteenth century and had been at length abandoned 
as decidedly unsatisfactory. No one, it may be as- 
sumed, would have proposed to repeat the experi- 
ment for its own sake. At the time of the union it 
was adopted merely because it was then necessary to 
the important end in view; and, after the union had 
been accomplished, the disadvantages which had 
been foreseen were, of course, only the more apparent. 
A dual pastorate was clearly not economical, it was 
cumbersome, and after the success of the union had 
been assured, it was unnecessary. 

No one was more conscious of this fact than were 
the two pastors, and in January, 1896, they ad- 
dressed the following joint letter to their people: 

*Dr. Richards, the present pastor, speaking in 1904, said, "On both 
sides the magnanimous spirit of fellowship must have been strong, I think; 
for the union was so real that, coming to you after a few years' interval, 
I find it quite impossible to discriminate among you which used to be 
which. There seems to be no 'which' now; you are all one." "In the 
Unity of the Faith: A Sermon," p. 9. 



440 THE BRICK CHURCH 

'*To the Members of the Congregation Worship- 
ping in the Brick Presbyterian Church: 

"Dear Brethren: 

"The dual pastorate, under which we are at pres- 
ent ministering to you, was entered upon as a condi- 
tion of the union of the Church of the Covenant with 
the Brick Church, now happily and successfully 
accomplished to the satisfaction of all who are con- 
cerned. We recognized at the time that this duplicate 
arrangement of the pastorate was experimental. We 
are now convinced that it is not calculated to be the 
best working arrangement for the church, and there- 
fore, that it ought not to be permanent. After earnest 
and careful consultation, for more than a month, 
with the session whom you have appointed as your 
representatives and our advisers, we find them unan- 
imously of the same opinion. Our duty is therefore 
made perfectly clear and simple. We agreed with 
each other and with you, at the time of the union, 
that in the event of the retirement, death or resigna- 
tion of one of the pastors, the resignation of the other 
should be immediately presented. We intend to 
keep this agreement in loyalty to each other and to 
all the members of the united congregation. With 
a deep and single desire to promote the best interests 
of the church, whose servants we are, and with sin- 
cere regrets at the thought of the dissolution of rela- 
tions which have been so pleasant, we come together 
to place in your hands our resignations from the dual 
pastorate of the Brick Church. We beg you to unite 
with us, according to Presbyterian law and usage, in 
our joint and several application to the Presbytery to 



UNION AND AFFILIATION 441 

dissolve the pastoral relation. And we pray that the 
Holy Spirit of wisdom may direct you and us in all 
our actions, and that the Lord Jesus Christ may 
make us perfect in every good word and deed to obey 
him and to serve the welfare of his blessed kingdom 
of peace and love upon earth. 

'*J. H. McIlvaine, 
*' Henry van Dyke." 

That the church should allow both its pastors to 
go was manifestly out of the question, and the con- 
gregation was brought face to face with the peculiarly 
embarrassing necessity of making a choice between 
them. 

But here the qualities of Christian generosity and 
self-forgetfulness in the former members of the old 
Church of the Covenant, already exhibited by them 
at the time of the union, once more took control of 
the situation. They were now members of the Brick 
Church, and however the fact might be disguised, 
the choice about to be made was between the pastor 
whom they had brought with them into the union, 
and the man who had been pastor of the Brick 
Church for ten years before the union was so much 
as thought of. 

It was by representatives of the old Covenant 
Church that the deciding vote was moved and sec- 
onded, approving ' the acceptance, in the Christian 
spirit in which it is proffered of the proposal of Dr. 
McIlvaine to retire from the copastorate," and rec- 
ommending "that Dr. van Dyke be requested to 
withdraw his resignation." No better evidence could 
be desired of the spirit in which this action was pro- 



442 THE BRICK CHURCH 

posed and adopted — for the vote was unanimous in 
the aflSrmative — than the words with which Dr. 
Henry D. Noyes had accompanied his seconding of 
the motion. "There may, perhaps, never be an- 
other time," he said, "when such a word as is in my 
heart may perhaps be fittingly spoken. It is simply 
to this effect — it is only the personal confirmation of 
what has been so abundantly and eloquently said by 
both the pastors. It is not an easy thing for me to 
take any step which will eventuate in the removal 
from the pastoral oiOSce of this church of the man 
whose coming to New York was to no small degree 
due to my personal efforts. Under his ministrations, 
I have sat with great comfort and edification and de- 
light, and when the movement to bring the Church 
of the Covenant into close relations with this one was 
initiated, it brought with it, not only the earnest pur- 
poses of our pastor, but the hearty cooperation of 
almost all the members — practically all the mem- 
bers — of the Church of the Covenant. Since that 
consolidation has been effected, I beg to assure all of 
you that there has been but one heart and one mind 
on the part of those who have come into this congre- 
gation — that our united purpose should be for our 
mutual good, for our better fitting for the work of 
Jesus Christ, and that we should here seek together 
for the prosperity of this old-established and re- 
nowned church. And at this moment, when circum- 
stances have pointed to the desirability of a separate 
arrangement in the pastorate, while I am sure that 
I voice the sentiment of many that it is with deep 
regret that this sundering shall be effected, it is at 
the same time, true that the dominant thought and 



UNION AND AFFILIATION 443 

feeling in the heart of those who have come here is 
that we want the prosperity and the success and the 
consolidation in work of this church itself. We are 
part of you; we have joined you; we have no pur- 
pose to separate from you ; we clasp hands with you, 
and we will be always with you in the service and 
work of our blessed Master." 

When the chief action of the meeting had been 
taken, another resolution, moved and seconded by 
men who represented the older Brick Church of the 
days before the union, * and by them supported in 
cordial words of a more informal and personal char- 
acter, was offered in the following terms: *' Resolved, 
That we cannot allow Dr. Mcllvaine to leave us 
without putting upon record our high appreciation 
of his ability as a preacher and his endearing quali- 
ties as a man. To the friends who came with him to 
the united church he has added the larger number of 
those to whom he has ministered in his new field. 
We appreciate the unselfish and self-sacrificing mo- 
tive which has led him to insist that he shall be per- 
mitted to resign, and that Dr. van Dyke shall be 
asked to stay. We wish him Godspeed, and shall 
pray that he may be safely kept in his journeyings, 
and prosper in any new field of labor which he may 
select." 

When this motion has been heartily and unani- 
mously carried, this trying experience, which had yet 
been the means of revealing in a new light the Chris- 
tian strength of the church, was brought to a close. 
A private letter written at the time, said, in describ- 
ing the meeting, "It was characterized by unusual 

* Mr. John E. Parsons and Dr. Albert R. Ledoux. 



444 THE BRICK CHURCH 

solemnity and impressiveness, and absolute unanim- 
ity as to every resolution offered and proposition 
made. . . . When the meeting was dismissed and 
the strain taken off, every face was wreathed in smiles 
and it looked like the departure of a Christmas 
party." 

In the period between the union of the two churches 
and the end of the century a large part of the history 
of the Brick Church was being made in East Forty- 
second and West Thirty-fifth streets, in the two 
"afiBliated" churches, as the Brick Church loves to 
call them. It was realized at the time that the ex- 
periment then being tried in both of them, of real in- 
dependence within a real fellowship, was one that 
had an importance far more than local or temporary. 

The new Church of the Covenant had, at its be- 
ginning, two adjustments to make, first to the new 
duties of independence, and second, to the new rela- 
tion with the Brick Church. Of its success in the 
first of these something has been already said, * and 
it need only be added here that both pastor and 
people used to the full the new privilege of inde- 
pendence, courageously accepting its responsibilities, 
and that, at the same time, they never showed the 
slightest sign of forgetting the larger interests of 
Christ's kingdom which were vitally bound up with 
the continuance of the plan of affiliation. 

The second adjustment, to the Brick Church as 
successor of the old Church of the Covenant, was 
made easy by the loyal and thoroughly Christian 
attitude of the Brick Church itself. When the union 

* See above, p. 421, 




THE 1M{ESK.\T CHURCH OF THE COVENANT- 
MEMORIAL CHAPEL 



-FORMERLY 



UNION AND AFFILIATION 445 

was made, "we were assured," said Mr. Webster, in 
1900, "of the same interest and sympathy and sup- 
port that had been given in the past. That pledge 
has been fulfilled in the spirit of most fraternal love. 
Six years ago we were strangers to most of the mem- 
bers of the Brick Church and to its pastor. Dr. van 
Dyke has been, and is to-day, our loyal and loving 
friend, and his devoted people have followed him in 
this loyalty and friendship. The word ' afiiliation,' 
which he suggested to characterize our relations, has 
love for its root idea. . . . Let us appreciate it more 
and more and live up to its opportunities and respon- 
sibilities." To this summons his people heartily 
responded. 

The most interesting and important feature of the 
present Church of the Covenant has always been its 
strongly marked character as a family church. In 
maintaining this characteristic it has made a perma- 
nent place for itself in the quarter of the city in which 
it is situated, where another church without this dis- 
tinctive quality might easily have become ineffective 
or perhaps failed altogether. 

In 1894, at the very time when the Covenant 
Church was starting upon its independent career, the 
great Protestant Episcopal parish of St. Bartholo- 
mew's erected its splendid parish house on East 
Forty-second Street, less than a block from the Cove- 
nant's modest building. Many prophesied that in 
five years' time the church would find its usefulness 
gone, that the whole Christian work of the neigh- 
borhood would then have been absorbed by its 
younger rival. But the Church of the Covenant re- 
fused to admit that rivalry had anything to do with 



446 THE BRICK CHURCH 

the situation. Cooperation suited them much bet- 
ter. St. Bartholomew's parish house should be wel- 
comed as an ally, supplying in particular all manner 
of social helps that the people of the district needed, 
clubs, classes, gymnasium and the like, while the 
Church of the Covenant would continue to aid in 
ministering to the distinctly spiritual needs of the 
population, and with the more concentration of 
purpose because the other important work was pro- 
vided for. The result of this enlightened and truly 
Christian attitude was, for one thing, a most happy 
relation of cordial fellowship and Christian coopera- 
tion between the two neighboring organizations 
and, for the Church of the Covenant in her indi- 
vidual work, the most cheering and unmistakable 
success. 

Dr. Mcllvaine, writing from his parish in Pitts- 
burgh on March 5th, 1900, said to his former col- 
league, Mr. Webster: "I congratulate you on the 
completion of ten years of arduous, faithful, hopeful 
service; and I congratulate the Church of the Cove- 
nant on the progress which it has made during these 
ten years under your charge. From what was virtu- 
ally a mission chapel, though the name was carefully 
and wisely avoided, it has passed into the larger 
duties and dignities of a fully organized church, in- 
heriting the name and traditions, and in part, the 
affections of a most honored and beloved church. 
Of all the churches that I have served or may be per- 
mitted to serve, the former Church of the Covenant 
holds the dearest place in my heart and always will. 
It was so earnest, .so united and harmonious, so loyal, 
so unselfish, so spiritually minded, and so kindly 



UNION AND AFFILIATION 447 

appreciative, that it was a pleasure and a joy to 
be its pastor. One of the things that I look back 
upon with the most satisfaction in my ministry 
was the securing of your services to your present 
charge." 

The happy impression which this letter produces, 
is deepened by another letter written on the same 
occasion by Dr. van Dyke. An extract from it will 
serve to sum up the result of the work of the Church 
of the Covenant during this period. "My associa- 
tions, from the beginning, with your church," Dr. 
van Dyke wrote, "were intimate and cordial. The 
atmosphere that greeted me, on my first visit to the 
church as one of the triumvirate of pastors bound to- 
gether in the affiliation, was warm and friendly. I 
felt myself at once at home ; it seemed to me a ' home 
church.' The spirit that prevailed there was the 
quiet, firm, fruitful love that animates the household 
of our divine Father. The loyalty of the people 
toward their church and to you, their pastor; the 
evident sincerity of their worship and their religious 
work; the temper of gladness and simplicity and 
order in which all things were done, gave me a deep 
sense of satisfaction and comfort in your company. 
All that I heard of your members; of their patient 
continuance in well-doing, and of their willing sacri- 
fices for the cause of religon, gave me great confidence 
in them and made me feel sure they were Christians, 
not in name only, but also in deed and truth. . . . 
I am sure that the Church of the Covenant is doing 
good in New York City. It is making a centre of light 
in the midst of darkness, and the rays from it flow 
out into many a city home, and beyond that to dis- 



448 THE BRICK CHURCH 

tant parts of our land. Personal influence, after all, 
is the thing that counts most in building up the 
kingdom of Christ. I am sure that you realize this in 
the Church of the Covenant, and that you are living 
up to it." * 

Christ Church, the affiliated church on the West 
Side, had six years' start of the church on East Forty- 
second Street, but it was more slow in "finding it- 
self" than was the younger organization. For a 
number of years a spirit of disquiet made its appear- 
ance from time to time in the congregation and even 
threatened serious consequences. After the resigna- 
tion of Dr. Lampe in December, 1895, f great diflS- 
culty was found in securing a new pastor and the 
Rev. Richard R. Wightman was not installed until 
April, 1897. 

When this event had taken place, the session of the 
Brick Church felt a great sense of relief, and with 
much thankfulness they received the report that an 
era of prosperity and good feeling seemed to have 
set in, that many new members were being added 

* This picture would be incomplete without a particular reference to 
one who, from 1882 to the present time has served the Church of the 
Covenant. "One of the most faithful, devoted and consecrated Christian 
workers in this or any city," said Mr. Webster, "and most invaluable to 
the development of the church life here, has been Miss Anna M. Juppe. 
In addition to the administering of the benevolent work of the parish, she 
has taught the primary department in the Sunday-school and had charge 
of an average of three organizations each week. Each summer she man- 
ages the fresh-air work, which has brought comfort to thousands of homes 
and more than 10,000 people in these ten years. . . . She is a tried and 
trusted assistant to the pastor, as well as a most useful bond between our 
church and the churches that have furnished her support these years. 
Her earnest, quiet work in the spirit of prayer and love has entered largely 
into the Ufe and growth here." "A Decade of Work," p. 11. 

t To accept a call to the chair of Old Testament Literature in Omaha 
Theological Seminary. 



UNION AND AFFILIATION 449 

under the new pastor's ministry, that the attendance 
at the Christ Church services was increasing, and 
that, in general, the prospects of the church seemed 
bright. It was determined that, if possible, the future 
should be made secure. Following the wise plan 
which the Church of the Covenant happily adopted 
at the beginning, Christ Church now received into 
its membership certain chosen members of the Brick 
Church, who unselfishly transferred their allegiance 
to the organization In which they felt their service 
would most contribute to the cause of Christ. These 
were Mr. Daniel J. Holden, who had been clerk of 
the Brick Church session, Mr. William B. Isham, 
Jr., who had been secretary of the board of deacons, 
and Mr. Fulton McMahon. The two former were 
elected at once to the office of elder and, with Mr. Wil- 
liam H. Wilson, also elected at this time, added greatly 
to the strength of the Christ Church session. From 
that time on the voyage, though often requiring hard 
work, of course, on the part of the crew, was, in the 
main, smooth sailing. 

The Sunday-school had suffered but little from the 
church's perplexities. Mr. Holden, who had become 
superintendent in 1877, held that office until 1894. 
It was a devoted and most successful service, whose 
termination was very reluctantly accepted by the 
session of the Brick Church. Adding his years as 
teacher to those of his superlntendency, Mr. Holden 
had served the Sunday-school for thirty years, and, 
although he felt constrained to retire at this time 
from his office in the school, his relation to the work 
on West Thirty-fifth Street was very far from being 
ended. As has been stated in the preceding para- 



450 THE BRICK CHURCH 

graph, he entered two years later, into closer relations 
with it than ever before. * 

Mr. Holden was succeeded in the superintendency 
by Mr. Fulton McMahon, whose "diligent and faith- 
ful attention to the discharge of the duties of that 
office" was gratefully acknowledged, when he re- 
signed in 1897. Mr. Herbert Parsons, who next held 
this office, carried forward with great success the 
work which had been inaugurated by his father. 

Reference was made in an earlier chapter to the 
beginnings of social and industrial work in connec- 
tion with the Thirty-fifth Street organization. The 
sewing-school had flourished through all these years 
and accomplished an incalculable amount of good; 
and from time to time, other enterprises of a similar 
nature had been carried on with more or less suc- 
cess. Special mention must be made of the Boys' 
Club, w^hich "may trace its origin back as far as 1885, 
when, through the interested activity of Miss Kinnie f 

* Mr. Holden's devotion to all the interests connected with the Brick 
Church is described in the following minute from the session records, passed 
in November, 1897. "The transfer of his membership to Christ Church 
by Mr. Daniel J. Holden makes suitable from the session something more 
than the more formal action which is required. Mr. Holden was brought 
up in the church: his identification with it has continued during his whole 
life: his father was a useful and honored member of the session before 
Mr. Holden's birth. From the time that Mr. Holden's age permitted he 
has, as teacher and subsequently as superintendent of the branch school, 
as member of the board of trustees, as an elder and as clerk of session, 
given to the work of the church an amount of service, the value of which 
is incalculable. It is because of his belief tliat he can be of better service 
by becoming a member of Christ Church, that Mr. Holden makes the sacri- 
fice of breaking up his old associations, of leaving positions which were most 
congenial to him, and of going among the people who, largely through hia 
instrumentality, have identified themselves with what, for so many years, 
was the Brick Church Mission." Mr. Holden died on June 21st, 1903. 

t Miss Margaret E. Kinnie, who is still one of the faithful workers at 
Christ Church. 





^ 


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1 


1 


1 


K 


m 


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1 

1 

1 


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1 




MURRAY KINDERGARTEN AND THE LINCOLN CADETS, 
CHRIST CHURCH 



UNION AND AFFILIATION 451 

a small company of boys was gathered for purposes 
of amusement and instruction on Thursday and 
Friday evenings. This group of boys was later 
organized into the Lincoln Cadets and became the 
nucleus about which the more extensive activities 
[of later years] have developed." * It happened that 
at this juncture, the Brick Church had for the first 
time called into service an assistant minister, to 
lighten somewhat the heavy burden which Dr. van 
Dyke was carrying alone. The Rev. James M. 
Farr, Jr., had entered upon his duties in January, 
1897, and at once he began to interest himself in the 
work among the boys at Christ Church, a fact dis- 
tinctly prophetic, as the future proved. 

In the fall of 1897, at Mr. Farr's request, a few 
hundred dollars were secured from Brick Church 
people for the purpose of providing permanent head- 
quarters for the Boys' Club, and although nothing 
better could at that time be accomplished than the 
renting and fitting up of rooms in the basement of 
No. 262 West Thirty-fifth Street, this may, neverthe- 
less, be regarded as the definite beginning of the 
larger social and industrial work which grew up so 
speedily thereafter. 

The next steps in the development may be given 
in Mr. Farr's words: '*In the same winter of 1897, 
the Girls' Club, which had been organized the pre- 
ceding winter by Miss E. W. Hatfield, secured rooms 
in the house 222 West Thirty-fifth Street. The fol- 
lowing fall, in response to an appeal by Dr. van 
Dyke for better quarters for the Boys' and Girls' clubs, 
Mr. D. H. McAlpin presented and remodelled the 

* "The Story of the Christ Church Work," pp. 26 /. 



452 THE BRICK CHURCH 

house 224 West Thirty-fifth Street, in memory of 
his son Randolph. The success which attended 
the opening of the Church House was immediate. 
Boys' Ckibs, Girls' Clubs, McAlpin Society, Van 
Dyke Club, kitchen garden, cooking classes, were 
soon crowded to their utmost capacity." * It was 
evident already that this was but the beginning 
of a very much greater work, to which God had 
been leading the people of the Brick Church through 
many years. 

It will have been apparent that the church at the 
centre, on the brow of Murray Hill, from which had 
come forth the money and the men necessary for 
accomplishing the work already described in this 
chapter, must have been in a most vigorous condi- 
tion. It would, in truth, be hard to overstate the 
prosperity which she was enjoying under Dr. van 
Dyke's remarkable leadership. And best of all, it 
was not the prosperity of ease, but the prosperity of 
active and generous enterprise. 

In the matter of sharing the wider benevolences of 
the Church at large, for example, the Brick Church 
was, in the year 1896-1897, the largest contributor in 
the denomination to the work of the boards, and a 
year later Dr. van Dyke was able to report that the 
total contributions of the church were twice as much 
as in the year preceding, being "the largest sum 
given for Christian work by any Presbyterian church 
in America, and probably in the world." 

The attendance at the church services was another 
indication of success. " On many Sunday mornings," 

* "The Story of the Christ Church Work," pp. 27 /. 




HENKY VAN DYKE 



UNION AND AFFILIATION 453 

it was reported in 1898, "it has been impossible to 
accommodate the congregations seeking admittance," 
and this in spite of the fact that one hundred new 
sittings had been added in the gallery for the spe- 
cial accommodation of the many young men who 
regularly attended. One important element in the 
attractiveness of the Brick Church for young men at 
this time was the Sunday morning Bible class con- 
ducted by Mr. Theron G. Strong, and another was 
the spirit of work which more and more was taking 
possession of the membership. The gospel of service 
was constantly heard from the Brick Church pulpit. 
"No able-bodied Christian man," said Dr. van Dyke, 
"has a right to be merely a passenger in the church."* 

That Dr. van Dyke should ever go away to any 
other field was not allowed to be so much as men- 
tioned, though more than once, when his health 
failed, as it did from time to time, or when his suc- 
cesses in literature proved that there was distin- 
guished service awaiting him in that field also, the 
fear of his departure was in many hearts. 

He could have no doubt that his people were de- 
voted to him. Every opportunity was taken to ex- 
press the affection with which he was regarded. 
The celebration of his fifteenth anniversary as pas- 
tor was made notable by the dedication of a new 
organ in the church as well as by a gift to himself. 
The announcement of his call to the chair of English 
Literature in Johns Hopkins, in January, 1899, was 
made the occasion of such strong expressions of the 
church's gratitude to him and dependence upon 
him, that he could not mistake their significance. 

* Pastoral Letter in "Year Book for 1898-1899," p. 6. 



454 THE BRICK CHURCH 

But, although he was persuaded to decline the 
Johns Hopkins call, there were several different 
reasons, each in itself weighty, by which he was 
forced to regard his withdrawal from New York as 
most advisable, if not imperative, so that when later 
in 1899, he was called to the newly created Murray 
chair of English Literature in his owti university, 
Princeton, he felt compelled to accept, and this time 
his determination was inexorable. 

There was, however, one last service which he 
would render to his church before he said good-bye. 
He would remain at the helm until his successor had 
been found and was ready to begin his work. At 
length, in January, 1900, he could say, "The man 
whom you have chosen as your pastor has said that 
he is willing to come to you." 

Dr. van Dyke had been pastor of the Brick Church 
for seventeen years, "the work of a third of a life- 
time," as he himself said. He had rendered a re- 
markable service ; he had endeared himself to all his 
people; he had left the impress of his thought and 
his faith, not only on the Brick Church, but on the 
great city in which it stood. "In the succession of 
pastors of the Brick Church" — with these words the 
congregation closed their affectionate address of fare- 
well — "there have been noble names, men who were 
notable in doing the work of the church. To not 
one does it ow^e more than to Henry van Dyke." 
The truth was that the Brick Church of the closing 
nineteenth century, the church which then held an 
acknowledged place among the half-dozen leading 
churches of America, was almost wholly the product 
of his distinguished ministry. 



CHAPTER XXIV 

A GOLDEN YEAR: 1900-1901 

"That ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with 
all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height; and to know the 
love of Christ, which passeth knowledge."— fipftesians 3 : 17-19. 

" It seems something of a paradox, but nothing has made me feel so much at 
home in New York as going away. So many people have written me notes or 
spoken to me— telling me this or that, of some sermon or letter or little 'confab' 
that had meant something to them— that I have suddenly felt that I really be- 
longed to you, and found my heart quickening at the thought of coming back home." 
— Maltbie Davenport Babcock, "Letters from Egypt and Palestine," p. 1. 

I ACCEPT as from God and for God the call 
which you have sent me." When these words 
from the Rev. Dr. Maltbie Davenport Bab- 
cock were received in the middle of November, 1899, 
the people of the Brick Church, with their pastor, 
who had stood by the ship until a new helmsman 
should be found, knew that they were accepting a 
great sacrifice from the man who was coming to 
them. Yet because of their belief in the unpar- 
alleled importance of the work to which they called 
him, they had not hesitated to urge upon him his 
removal from the Brown Memorial Presbyterian 
Church in Baltimore to the Brick Church in New 
York; and he, on his part, when once the path of 
duty was clear to him, did not stop because it de- 
manded sacrifice. 

One of his intimate friends, to whom he went for 
counsel, * has shared with us the knowledge of what 

* Pr. Charles Cuthbert Hall. 

455 



456 THE BRICK CHURCH 

the step cost and how nobly it was taken. Dr. Bab- 
cock *'told me," he says, "how the very roots of his 
life had taken hold of the Baltimore work and the 
Baltimore people, and I asked him if that was any 
reason why, at God's bidding, these roots should not 
be torn up, that he might come to a place that needed 
him more. I shall never forget how he took that 
thought; it seemed to appeal to the heroic elements 
in his great nature. ... It was like a veritable tear- 
ing asunder of his heart, for him to leave that be- 
loved life in Baltimore, yet so much more did he love 
Christ than any comfort or luxury of human friend- 
ship that he seemed to rejoice in his own sufferings, 
and to be glad that he could test by pain the reality 
of his devotion to the pure will of God." * 

Dr. Babcock's early life had not been marked by 
unusual events. Born in Syracuse, N. Y., on August 
3d, 1858, he "was reared in a home fragrant with 
Christian influence and in close touch with the life 
and work of the church. His mother was a woman 
of unusual strength and beauty of character, whom 
the son resembled in both face and spirit." f 

In 1879 he graduated from Syracuse University, 
and three years later from Auburn Theological Sem- 
inary. Those who knew him during these days of 
preparation were fond of telling in later years of the 
place of leadership which was instinctively accorded 
him by his fellow-students. "He was then regard- 
ed," we are told, "as the most brilliant and versatile 
man of his class — one of those fortunate fellows who 
can do almost anything equally well, from playing on 

* "Brick Church Year Book," 1901-1902, p. 146- 
t "Year Book," 1901-1902, p. 149. 



A GOLDEN YEAR 457 

a flute to debating a difficult problem of statecraft or 
gracing a fashionable drawing-room." * 

His first pastorate, of five years' duration, was in 
the First Presbyterian Church of Lockport, N. Y., 
from which, in 1887, he was called to succeed Dr. 
Frank W. Gunsaulus in the Brown Memorial Church 
of Baltimore. Long before the twelve years of his 
second pastorate were ended, it had been recognized 
that he was one of the strongest and noblest Chris- 
tian personalities in the American ministry. Churches 
in many different cities would have been glad to 
draw him to them, and Baltimore rejoiced in the 
possession of him. "His work there," said one of 
his friends, t '*was eminently blessed of God. He 
followed a line of brilliant preachers, but he equalled 
them in his hold upon this congregation and the en- 
tire community. He attracted to himself more than 
ordinary affection. He won all hearts by his enthu- 
siasm, his noble manliness, his devotion to his work, 
his broad sympathies, his fine friendliness. His 
preaching was intensely earnest, filled with life and 
spiritual power, practical and modern, vivacious and 
varied in style, and full of Christ. He gathered 
around him a large company of men and women to 
whom he imparted his own warm spirit." | 

When his departure from Baltimore was deter- 
mined, the newspapers spoke of it as "a public 
calamity," and of him as "a man we cannot spare." 
Not in any formal sense, but literally, his going was 
felt as a universal personal loss. A street-car con- 

* "Brown Memorial Monthly," May, 1900, p. 112. 

t Dr. George T. Purves. 

t "Brown Memorial Monthly," June, 1901, p. 181. 



458 THE BRICK CHURCH 

ductor had exclaimed to one of his parishioners 
when a previous call was pending: " You miss him! 
Why, Fd miss him. This whole city would miss 
him!"* 

There could be no doubt that in 1899, when Dr. 
Babcock was called to the Brick Church, he had a 
remarkable career behind him; but it was character- 
istic of him that with this he was very little con- 
cerned. We are told that, when asked for an outline 
of his earlier life for publication in the Brick Church 
Year Book on the eve of his arrival, he replied, *'Do 
let the sketch go. Let's face the future and see if we 
can make a little history." The words sound like 
him. Certainly it was to the future rather than the 
past that he w^as looking, as he entered upon his new 
work. Old victories and regrets for old joys now 
abandoned were alike left behind him, and he gave 
himself to his ministry in New York with an enthu- 
siasm, and a fulness of joy in the very effort of it, 
that could not be mistaken. 

His first day in the Brick Church was Sunday, 
January 14th, 1900. f x\ccording to custom it was 
the day when, in place of the usual sermon, the 
report of the year from the two affiliated churches 
was given by the Covenant and Christ Church pas- 
tors, preparatory to taking up the usual offering for 
that double work. Dr. Babcock, therefore, had but 
to introduce the subject and make the brief applica- 
tion at the close; he was dealing, moreover, with 
a complex work to which he was still almost a stran- 
ger; yet at once every one at the service that morning 

* From the "Evangelist," quoted in "Year Book," 1899-1900, p. 12. 
t He was not installed until February 27th. 




MALTBIE D. BABCOCK 



A GOLDEN YEAR 459 

knew that there was a strong hand at the helm, and 
that the Brick Church, whose prosperity in recent 
years had seemed almost too good to last, might 
hope to sail ahead on her course without so much as 
slowing down. 

Even the strangers who had come to the church 
that day out of curiosity, or because deputed to 
report the new preacher in the next day's newspapers, 
were plainly made aware that they were in the pres- 
ence of a power. It was not so much what he said 
that impressed the congregation, as the man himself, 
his personality, whose influence made an instan- 
taneous impression. The "Tribune" thus described 
him on Monday morning: "He is a tall, slender, and 
well built man, with sharp features that are clean cut 
and attractive. . . . He has a habit of throwing his 
shoulders back that gives an air of manly frankness 
to what he says. . . . Although of youthful appear- 
ance" — he was but forty-one years old — "he bore 
himself with a natural dignity and confidence that 
made him master of the situation at once." This is 
manifestly the witness of one who was recording 
a first impression, and it deals chiefly with externals, 
but even through this crude medium, one is able to 
feel the beginning of Dr. Babcock's deep impression 
upon the New York public. 

A week later the reporter was saying of the new 
pastor's second Sunday-morning service in the Brick 
Church, "Probably no person who heard the sermon 
yesterday could have told afterward without looking 
at his watch whether the sermon was long or short"; 
and his characterization of the preacher's method, if 
not altogether adequate, was certainly suggestive: 



460 THE BRICK CHURCH 

"Dr. Babcock preached in little whirlwinds," he 
said. *'He took up one thought after another, 
wound it up in a whirl of apt words, and sent it spin- 
ning at the congregation." A letter from a member 
of the Brick Church recording the impression made 
by this same sermon, said, '*He is a rapid talker — 
no notes of any kind — full of anecdotes and illus- 
trations, and changes rapidly from wit to serious- 
ness." 

It was evident at once, as these informal observa- 
tions indicate, that Dr. Babcock would not lack for 
hearers, but it was soon evident, also, that his hold 
upon his audience was not due to any mere attrac- 
tiveness of method nor even to the charm of his per- 
sonality alone. There could be no doubt, as the 
weeks went by, that people came to hear him because 
his message satisfied the hunger of their hearts, be- 
cause he gave them new strength and purpose, be- 
cause he brought them into real touch with God. 
This was the final and universal testimony of those 
to whom he ministered: "Above all," they said, 
*' . . . he was a preacher of the gospel, an ambas- 
sador of Christ. This was his only ambition and it 
satisfied him. . . . What a preacher he was! How 
his strength and his talents all combined to make him 
a great and commanding figure in the pulpit! His 
manner and method were peculiarly his own, but 
men who crowded * to hear him went away with new 

* Not only at the Sunday-morning service, but in the afternoons as well 
the church was too small to hold the congregation. The Wednesday even- 
ing meetings taxed the capacity of the lecture-room to the utmost. The 
peculiar charm of the week-day meetings was their more informal and per- 
sonal character. It was said that Dr. Babcock "believes in making the 
Wednesday evening prayer-meeting an occasion for exchange of confi- 



A GOLDEN YEAR 461 

conceptions of his Master, moved to higher stand- 
ards of living." * 

One is tempted to linger over the reports of those 
sermons and services in the spring and fall of 1900; 
they came from so many different sources, and are 
so cheering in their evidence that the true message of 
Jesus Christ will find out and satisfy all that is best 
in our common human nature. At least a few frag- 
ments from the report of a stranger, who happened 
in at a service one Sunday in February, may be 
quoted, because they say of Dr. Babcock what every 
one was feeling. "If it had not been for the unusual 
forcefulness of his sermon," says this visitor, '*I 
think the dominant impression I should have carried 
away would have been that of his remarkable power 
in prayer. ' Reality ' more than any other word char- 
acterizes it." The truth of this judgment will be 
confirmed by all who had opportunity to know the 
facts; and hardly less significant is this other refer- 
ence, to his manner of giving the announcements: 
"There was an unusual number of notices that morn- 
ing, but Dr. Babcock was more than equal to them, 
injecting a touch of humor into a function which 
often is tedious." Nor was it humor only that made 
that weekly notice-giving a memorable part of the 
Sunday services. There was a note of summons in 
Dr. Babcock's way of asking for a gift of money or 
for personal service, that stirred and compelled his 
hearers like the Master's "Follow me." "The ser- 



dences with his congregation." He then shared with his people many of 
his pastoral experiences, so far as was possible without revealing the iden- 
tity of the individuals concerned. 
* "Year Book," 1901-1902, p. 140. 



462 THE BRICK CHURCH 

mon reached at last," continues the report of this 
February service, "Dr. Babcock sprang forward 
with the eagerness of a race horse"; and then follows 
an outline of what the writer describes as the most 
tender, logical, and powerful presentation of "the 
real gospel of Jesus" that he had ever heard. 

But perhaps the best expression of the significance 
of Dr. Babcock's preaching was a single sentence 
spoken by a member of the Brick Church congrega- 
tion: *'To hear one of his sermons is to assume a 
great responsibility." * 

Back of the preacher was the man. The message 
had true Christian power because it was spoken by 
a Christian. No one who knew him had any doubt 
of that. "His religious life was so real, so positive, 
so vital, so spiritual, that to be in his presence for 
only a few minutes was to receive a benediction as 
from the heavens. His intimacy with Jesus Christ 
was ever apparent. . . . He walked and talked with 
God." f And to this testimony of his friends it may 
be added that the blessing of his own life was im- 
parted freely to others, because he walked and talked 
with his fellow-men with the same sincerity and 
simple-heartedness. "Genial and buoyant of tem- 
perament, always aglow with sunshine and scintil- 
lating with humor, optimistic, sympathetic, appre- 
ciative of others' work or efforts, and charitable 
toward the faults or weaknesses of those less gifted 
than himself; never patronizing or high-minded, 
never self-centred or self-conscious — it was an in- 
spiration to be in his company, and one always left 

* "Year Book," 1900-1901, p. 4. 

t Tribute of "Chi Alpha," "Year Book," 1901-1902, p. 148. 



A GOLDEN YEAR 463 

it spiritually regaled and strengthened." * " He had," 
said one of his friends, "the sprightliness of a boy 
with the maturity of a man. He was full of humor 
and fond of healthy play, yet retained the spiritual 
temper of a servant of God. He had also an artist's 
soul. Music was a passion with him ; song and poetry 
a delight. . . . His enthusiasm was contagious. . . . 
His genuineness of character, his sincerity and nat- 
uralness, made him peculiarly lovable to those 
who knew him." f He was, as was said of him at 
the General Assembly in Philadelphia a few days 
after the news of his death had been received, "a 
David for sweet song, a Paul for fiery zeal, an Apol- 
los for eloquence, a Jonathan for friendship, and 
a John for heavenly spirit." | 

If it were to be supposed that his preaching was the 
chief part of his work, a very imperfect conception 
would be formed of his ministry. The wonder was, 
when he found time to prepare his sermons, among 
the thronging duties that filled his days and the de- 
mands upon his personal sympathy which he always 
regarded as having precedence over everything else. 
How large that personal service was will never be 
known in this world, but the instances of it that have 
been told by all sorts and conditions of people, in his 
church and out of it, friends and strangers, old and 
young, people in need of almost every conceivable sort 
of help, of mind, body, and estate, can leave no doubt 
that his ministry to individuals would alone have pro- 
vided more than enough work for any ordinary man. 

* "Year Book," 1901-1902, p. 148. 

t "Brown Memorial Monthly," June, 1901, p. 182. 

} "Year Book," 1901-1902, p. 139. 



464 THE BRICK CHURCH 

A slip of paper, found after his death in an old 
parish directory of the Brick Church, from which he 
had apparently been copying, preserves for us, in the 
form of hasty memoranda, in his own hand-writing, 
the record of one day's occupations No doubt it 
was a day more crowded than was usual, else he 
would not have thus recorded it, yet with the excep- 
tion of a few items, it might have been duplicated by 
many another. The following is a transcript of this 
fragment of autobiography: 

Orange — B ible. 

6.50, Shower bath — exercise. 

7.30, Quiet time. 

7.45, Breakfast. 

8.15, Prayer and music. 
Call on church work. 

8.45, Study— 30 letters till 
10.00, Study on sermons. 
11.00, Funeral. 
11.30, Photo sitting. 
12.00, Study — sermon (sitting to artist). 

1.00, Lunch — company. 

2.00, Nap. 

2.30, Six interviews. 

3.15, Dictation, writing and study on three 
different themes, shaping for 
Sunday. 

4.00, Dress for engagement [ ?]. 

4.15, Calls. 

5.00, Wedding. 

5.30-6.00, Calls. 

6.00-6.40, Study, prayer-meeting. 



A GOLDEN YEAR 465 

6.45, * Dinner. 

7.30, Study half-hour. 
8.00, Prayer-meeting. 
9.00, Session meeting. 

It has often been regretted that Dr. Babcock 
never wrote a book, but it is not strange that in a Hfe 
as full as his, and as exhausting to both mind and 
spirit, there was no room for that kind of undertaking. 
*'Do not talk to me about such a thing as publica- 
tion," he is reported to have said to one who urged 
him to prepare a volume of sermons for the press, 
"I have no hankering for going down to posterity in 
h<alf calf. But if I ever do [write a book], it must be 
some time when I have broken a leg." 

The year of Dr. Babcock's ministry in the Brick 
Church was momentous rather than eventful, yet 
even in that short time important results had begun 
to appear. He had in particular seized from the be- 
ginning upon the work which had developed in the 
Christ Church House, as a great opportunity which 
the Brick Church had only begun to improve. His 
pastorate was but three months old when he had se- 
cured the appointment of a special committee to 
consider the general subject of the enlargement of 
the work on the West Side. The Church House, 
though only a year old when he came, had already 
proved inadequate to meet the demands of the work, 
and Dr. Babcock soon determined in his own mind 
that the first definite task of his ministry along the 
line of material progress should be the securing of 
new and larger quarters. 

* Here is given the name of his host or guest. 



466 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Dr. Babcock's personal participation in the life of 
the two affiliated churches was one of the wonders of 
his ministry. He gave to them not only his interest, 
his counsel, his direction, but personal service. He 
was known as a friend by the people in the congrega- 
tion and by the children in the Sunday-school. Large 
as his own parish was, he found time and strength to 
carry his welcome ministry into many of the homes 
of the two other parishes, whenever there was special 
need of such help as he could give. The Church of the 
Covenant was glad to remember afterward that some 
of her young men, who became good servants of the 
Lord Jesus, were moved to the definite consecration 
of their lives by Dr. Babcock's personal influence. * 

The hopefulness of the Christ Church work was 
greatly increased when in January, 1901, Mr. Farr, 
until then assistant minister of the Brick Church, 
accepted the Christ Church pastorate, f He had 
himself been one of the prime movers, as we have seen, 
in the development of the newer activities connected 
with that church, while his relation to the Brick 
Church was peculiarly close, and the confidence of 
the Brick Church officers and people was given to 
him without reserve. His going, it is true, left Dr. 
Babcock alone, but Dr. Babcock was one of those 
who most strongly urged him to take up the larger 
work, when it appeared that the people of Christ 
Church had set their hearts upon calling him. With 
his installation began a new era of prosperity for the 
whole work on West Thirty-fifth Street, and the ques- 
tion of providing the new buildings seemed to be de- 

* "Year Book," 1901-1902, p. 152. 

I Mr. Wightman had resigned in the preceding November. 




JAMES M. FARR 



A GOLDEN YEAR 467 

ferred only until Dr. Babcock should feel that the first 
necessary foundations of his own ministry were laid. 
The other most important beginning made during 
this year in the work of the church concerned par- 
ticularly the men of the congregation. In November, 
1900, "it was decided that the Pastor's Aid Society, 
which had done such good work for so many years, 
should be replaced by an entirely new association 
with similar aims but with broader scope. It was 
voted that this newly formed society should be called 
'The Men's Association of the Brick Church,' and 
a regular organization was effected." In itself this 
statement does not seem very significant, but behind 
it were two facts which indicated that somethino- far 
more than a new ''organization" had been created. 
First, a man of peculiar ability for this particular 
work had been found to take the leadership, Mr. 
Henry L. Smith, who still holds the office of president, 
and with it the esteem and affection of the many men 
who have shared in the work of the Men's Association 
since the time of its origin. And second. Dr. Bab- 
cock gave, without stint, his help to make the enter- 
prise a power in the church. He was always the 
moving spirit of its meetings. To meet him there 
personally was enough incentive to bring a roomful 
of men together, and besides that, he always had 
something unusual, inspiring, characteristic, to say, 
or to propose in the way of practical Christian work. 
At these meetings men were made to feel that genuine 
Christianity ought to be a force in the world, and that 
they themselves might help to make it so. * 

* Dr. Babcock, in the first of the series of letters to be mentioned pres- 
ently, said of the Men's Association. " I have deeper roots there than you 



468 THE BRICK CHURCH 

With such auspicious beginnings as these that have 
been described, and with an amount of blessino- and 
strength imparted to individual Hves which it would 
be impossible to calculate, the first year of Dr. Bab- 
cock's ministry drew to its close — the first year 
w^hich was also to be the last. We have the record of 
his own gratitude and hope, as he stood at the end of 
it, in the pastoral letter, published according to cus- 
tom in the Year Book, and called by him "A per- 
sonal message from the pastor." It bore the date 
January 1st, 1901. 

"I cannot realize," he says, "that it has been only 
a year since I began to work with you, so many 
changes have come — changes so deep and prophetic 
— so many new vistas opened, so many friendships 
begun. It seems in the review like a happy little life- 
time. The year's experiences are not among the 
things behind to be forgotten, but to be held in loving 
remembrance, to stir us and spur us to reach forth 
to things that are before, the better things, please 
God, yet to be. Attainments are for new attempts, 
and every goal should be a point of departure. 
Every blessing is a call of God, and every gift, an 
appeal. New light is to inspire new^ loyalty, and 
mountain peaks to give wider horizons. 'A man's 
reach should exceed his grasp, or what's Heaven 
for.?' 

"Oh, let his goodness lead us to repentance! Let 
a grateful review mean a loving rededication ! If the 
mercies of God have blessedly beset us, let us not 

think — for no organization in the church has meant so much to me in the 
way of friendship, nor made me so hopefully aware of power — patent and 
latent." "Letters from Egypt and Palestine," p. 2. 



A GOLDEN YEAR 469 

build * Three tabernacles,' and abide, but rather like 
Paul, thank God at 'Three Taverns,' and take 
courage, pushing on to fight a better fight, and keep 
the faith more loyally. 

"Thoughts of the New Century may stir us, but 
such thoughts have short roots. Let us look over 
the shoulder of Time to the face of the Eternal, past 
the years to him who is ' the same, yesterday, to-day, 
and forever,' and for his sake let us make this the 
best of all our years." 

It was already known at this time that a month 
and a half later Dr. Babcock was going away for the 
purpose of making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land 
with a party of old friends connected, like himself, 
with Auburn Seminary. The plan had been formed 
before he was called from Baltimore, and it had been 
arranged that his coming to New York should not 
interfere with it. Perhaps even then he realized, in 
some measure, how great the need of rest would be 
after a year in his new work; and certainly the wisest 
of his friends, as the time drew near, were glad for 
his sake that he was going. 

On February 24th, 1901, he set sail, and the very 
next day came back a letter from him, by the pilot, 
addressed to the Men's Association. It was in ful- 
filment of a promise which he had made, to send a 
letter now and then to be read at the meetings, and 
which he, with characteristic generosity, fulfilled by 
sending, not *' brief, kindly letters of remembrance, 
as was expected," but a record of his entire journey. 
Nor did the men of the church receive the only tokens 
of his remembrance. From Palestine he sent cards 
of pressed flowers of the Holy Land to the three 



470 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Sunday-schools, fourteen hundred of them, one for 
each scholar and teacher in the schools. 

News arrived in due course of the prosperous and 
delightful sojourn in Egypt and in Palestine, includ- 
ing many an allusion in the letters of Dr. Babcock's 
companions to the joy of travelling with him, of 
sharing his love of life and his love of men and 
his love of God. From Constantinople he himself 
wrote speaking of his expected return in good health 
before the end of May. Then, on May 15th came 
a cable message from Naples telling of his illness 
there. He had been attacked by gastric fever, that 
strange, insidious disease, whose effects are some- 
times as incalculable as they are disastrous. Three 
days later came the tragic news of his death. 

To the Brick Church the shock of grief and loss 
was indescribable. But it seemed as though the 
whole city, almost the whole land, shared the sorrow. 
Many, like the people of the Brown Memorial 
Church of Baltimore, had stood as close to him as the 
Brick Church people had, and thousands who had 
never stood close to him in any formal relation, but 
who had found in him comfort or courage, the help of 
a friend and of a messenger from God, were affected 
by a truly personal grief. It did not seem possible 
that he who had given life to so many could be dead. 

And he was not. Even in the Brick Church, which 
seemed bereft indeed without his visible presence, he 
was a continuing power. It was soon evident that 
for those whom he had awakened to a new life with 
God and a new life for men, his going was like a 
challenge. What they had hoped to do with his help, 
they must now do alone, that was all. 





CLASSES IN BASKET-\\EAVING AND CARPENTRY, 
CHCRCH HOUSE 



CHRIST 



A GOLDEN YEAR 471 

Even the definite undertakings that he had planned 
or dreamed were not to fall to the ground. In the 
memorial service, by which at once his people of the 
Brick Church sought to honor his memory, it was 
grateful to them to speak of him, to tell and to hear 
what he had done for many different lives, to read 
the last of those letters which he had faithfully writ- 
ten from the lands of his travels. But the part of that 
service which was felt to be really worthy of it was the 
announcement that some one — no name was given, 
and none has been given to this day — ^had contributed 
$50,000 toward that extension of the Christ Church 
work which Dr. Babcock had been planning to un- 
dertake on his return. * 

From January 14th, 1900, till February 24th, 
1901, was the length of Dr. Babcock's active ministry 
in the Brick Church. It hardly seemed possible that 
a man could have made himself so deeply loved or 
done so much good in his Master's name in that brief 
time. The ofiicers of his church, coming together 
to express as best they could their sense of what 
he had been to them, were moved by the' strangeness 
of this thought, and by the pity of it, but most of all 
by the glory of it. 

"The active pastorate of Dr. Babcock," they said, 
"lasted but little over a year. He came to us under 
circumstances strikingly indicative of the guidance of 
the good hand of God. He was the unanimous 
choice of officers and people. There was no second 
choice, nor was there an instant's hesitation as to his 
being the man we needed. The Presbytery of New 

* The funeral was held in the Brick Church on June 12th. A memorial 
tablet was erected in January, 1903. 



472 THE BRICK CHURCH 

York, too, was so convinced that Dr. Babcock's 
great heart and devoted service were needed in this 
city, that they adopted the unusual course of ap- 
pointing a committee to urge upon him the accept- 
ance of our call. Even then his coming would have 
been wellnigh impossible, but for the influence of the 
divine Spirit strengthening him to sever heart-ties 
stronger than bands of steel; convincing him that 
sacred duty beckoned him away from all the asso- 
ciations of an ideal home and devoted people and a 
great work well maintained, to come among strangers; 
to enter a harder field; to assume heavier responsi- 
bilities. . . . 

"He came to us — a man! ' Greatheart,' in every 
sense! Tall, strong, full of life, with an eloquence 
all his own; with that subtle influence we call 'per- 
sonal magnetism,' for want of a better name. He 
came trusting us, and holding nothing of himself in 
reserve — accepting us with all the trust and sim- 
plicity of a child. Although he went in and out 
among us for the brief space of a single year, he has 
left an indelible mark upon the church, the Presby- 
tery, and the city. His arduous duties were performed 
with supreme devotion, and, withal, so systematically 
that it was well said of him he would have been suc- 
cessful as the head of the greatest business organiza- 
tion. 

"But it is not our crowded services nor the mag- 
nificent successes, with even greater audiences, at 
the Ecumenical Conference, or People's Institute, 
that most clearly marked him as a man of God in the 
highest sense of the term. These count for much, 
and manv have been the souls won for the Master 








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CLASSES IN KITCHEN GARDEN AND COOKING, CHRIST 
CHURCH HOUSE 



A GOLDEN YEAR 473 

without more personal contact than the divine influ- 
ence emanating from his pulpit presence; but his 
greatest work has been upon individual lives, to whom 
he has ministered in season and out of season, by 
day and by night, imparting to the feeblest some- 
thing of his own vitality and faith, demonstrating by 
his very look his love of God and assured trust in 
him. . . . 

"The sense of our loss is too recent, the shock of 
the blow too great for measured words. We can 
only bow before the insoluble mystery of his death 
at forty-two, in the midst of so great a work and the 
greater need for such a man as he. But we can at 
least turn away in humility from a contemplation of 
the Providence which has bereft us, and with one 
accord unite in thanks to God that this church was 
permitted to have such leadership and we such a 
friendship through all too short a year." 



CHAPTER XXV 

THE CHURCH OF THE PRESENT: 1902-1908 



"And there it is unto this day." — 1 Chronicles 5 : 9. 

" A church including just the elements that have been united in this congrega- 
tion, and standing on the crest of the hill here in the centre of this great city — in 
the whole western hemisphere where could you find a better site for God's house? 
. . . There may be sermons in bricks as well as 'sermons in stones,' and our 
prayer is that the sermon preached here, by our lives, and by every material par- 
ticle of this structure, may be always the true evangel, so that, of the endless pro- 
cession moving past our doors, many, when they look upon this house of prayer, 
may get some clearer sense of the divine goodness and some stronger impulse toward 
holiness and service." — William R. Richaeds, Pastoral Letter, December, 1902. 



DR. VAN DYKE, like a true friend, came 
back to the church in her time of need. His 
old parishioners, feeling that for a time it 
was impossible to think about a new pastor, grate- 
fully accepted his offer, in December, 1901, to serve 
them as minister-in-charge until such time as they 
should secure a successor to Dr. Babcock, and to 
aid them in that undertaking by his counsel and 
influence. * 

Under his guidance, strengthened by his familiar 
presence, by his example of loyalty to the church, by 
the inspiration of his preaching, strong as of old, 
and by the evidence, soon supplied, that the church 
was in no danger of falling to pieces, the first feeling 

♦ Dr. van Dyke's duties at Princeton made it impossible for him to 
preach at the second service on Sunday or at the mid-week meetings, or 
to perform the routine duties of a pastor. He was therefore authorized 
to employ an assistant. The Rev. Shepherd Knapp served him in that 
capacity, and continued under the new pastor until 1908. 

474 



THE CHURCH OF THE PRESENT 475 

of depression and discouragement was gradually 
dispersed. * The finding of a new pastor was taken 
up in earnest, and before long the church came to 
the assurance that it had found him. 

But would he come.? It was a repetition of the 
situation in regard to Dr. Babcock in Baltimore. 
The Rev. William Rogers Richards, D.D., had been 
for eighteen years pastor of the Crescent Avenue 
Presbyterian Church in Plainfield, New Jersey, and 
rarely have the members of a congregation had such 
a deep and universal attachment for their pastor as 
that which bound the Plainfield people to Dr. Rich- 
ards. They loved him as a man. His preaching sat- 
isfied them like bread. He was a true part of their 
whole life, civic and social as well as philanthropic 
and religious, f Only in answer to a call of supreme 
importance would they hear for a moment of his 
leaving them, and his refusal again and again to con- 
sider calls to churches in New York and elsewhere 
had given his people ground for hope that the im- 

* It was during his term of service as minister-in-charge that Dr. van 
Dyke was elected Moderator of the General Assembly, held in New York 
in the spring of 1902, and in that capacity contributed largely to the suc- 
cessful revision of the Westminster Confession which was carried at that 
time. 

t In the "Brick Church Year Book " for 1902-1903, was quoted the fol- 
lowing estimate of the character of Dr. Richards and his work in Plainfield, 
by one who had known him for many years : " I consider his chief charac- 
teristics to be great intellectual power, stimulated by wide reading and 
study, and the ability to think clearly and closely, and to express himself 
in striking and appropriate English. Dr. Richards is by nature modest 
and retiring, but when intimately known he is found to be warm-hearted, 
sympathetic, and generous to a fault. He is not only a minister of the 
gospel, but a good citizen, interested in all questions of a public nature. 
It was his custom at Plainfield always to attend and take an active part 
in the primaries of his party. He was for some years a member of the 
Board of Education of Plainfield, rendering good service, and is now a 
member of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church," 



476 THE BRICK CHURCH 

perative summons, which both he and they must 
answer, would not come. 

In May, 1902, came the call from the Brick Church, 
and with it the following personal letter from Dr. 
van Dyke to Dr. Richards, which was, however, as 
w^ill be evident, addressed as much to the people as to 
their minister. " The meeting last night," Dr. van Dyke 
said, *'was large, enthusiastic, and absolutely unani- 
mous in calling you to the Brick Church. There is 
no doubt in any mind that you are the man for the 
place, and no hesitation in any heart about asking 
you to come. We know the value of your present 
work, the mutual attachment between you and the 
Plainfield Church, the many ties of love that hold 
you where you are. The tie by which we would 
draw you to New York is the tie of duty — clear and 
strong. The cause of Christ needs you here. The 
strongest Presbyterian church in America, standing 
in the great city where its influence is most needed, 
asks you to come to it and lead it forward. The call 
is affectionately and respectfully addressed to the 
Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church as well as to 
you. We do not imagine that your people can think 
of giving you up without great sorrow, but we want 
you, if it can be so brought about by the Spirit of 
Wisdom and Love. . . . Our prayer is that the 
Holy Ghost may guide you in the decision of this 
matter and my hope is that the appeal of duty may 
lead you to us." 

On the very Sunday when this letter was laid before 
the Plainfield congregation. Dr. Richards preached 
a sermon upon Moses' two calls to Hobab. "You 
see," said he, " Moses first urges Hobab to come with 



THE CHURCH OF THE PRESENT 477 

Israel for Hobab's own sake: 'Come thou with us 
and we will do thee good ' ; to which Hobab answers, 
'No.* And then Moses urges him to go for Israel's 
sake: 'Come to us/ he says, 'we need you,' . . . 
and it appears that he accepted this second invita- 
tion." The sermon as it went on, was applied to the 
call of men into Christian discipleship, but its bear- 
ing upon the special problem in practical Christian- 
ity, which pastor and people were then together fac- 
ing, was evident. * On neither side was it at that 
time determined what the answer to the call of the 
Brick Church ought to be, but the principle by which 
the decision was to be reached was here clearly set 
forth, and it was adopted without hesitation by both 
Dr. Richards and his parishioners. The call was ac- 
cepted. 

On October 26th, 1902, Dr. Richards was in- 
stalled. Dr. van Dyke, whose service of the Brick 
Church might now be said to have been extended 
to nearly twenty years, handed to the new pastor the 
keys of the church, and the people thanked God for 
his mercies in bringing them across the troubled sea 
of the last year to this desired haven. 

In certain interesting particulars, Dr. Richards' 
preparation had resembled that of two of his prede- 
cessors. Like Dr. Spring he was of strong New Eng- 
land ancestry, and was born in Massachusetts, f 
Like him he had been educated at Yale and Andover, 
and had then studied for the law. He resembled 



* The sermon and Dr. van Dyke's letter were both printed in the 
"Brooklyn Eagle." 

t In 1853 in Boston, where his father was pastor of the Central Con- 
gregational Church. 



478 THE BRICK CHURCH 

him, moreover, in his irenic spirit combined with a 
strong sense of the historic continuity of the Chris- 
tian faith. At the same time he was kno\\Ti to be in 
cordial sympathy with the modern movements of 
thought. It was evident that he was one who would 
make for peace and the generous cooperation of dif- 
ferent types of men, and therefore for the steady and 
solid progress which these conditions render possible.* 
Like Dr. van Dyke, on the other hand, his first pas- 
torate had been in a Congregational church ;t and, 
like him, he had become one of the most popular 
preachers in the various college pulpits of the Eastern 
States. The undergraduates looked forward to his 
coming because he understood them — shared their 
enthusiasm for athletics, for one thing — and be- 
cause his sermons were interesting, and perhaps most 
of all, for the reason that he invariably used his 
power and his opportunity to speak to them of the 
things that are most worth while. He was able, not 
only to hold the attention of college boys, but to ex- 
ert a real moral and religious influence upon them. 
To the people of the Brick Church there was a pleas- 
ant familiarity in such qualities as these. 

But not many Sundays had passed before the con- 
gregation made an interesting discovery, by which 
Dr. Richards' unlikeness to what had gone before 
began to seem as important as his likeness to it. 
They discovered that there are at least three ways of 
preaching great sermons. They had known before 

♦ These qualities were to prove especially valuable in his most arduous 
and important service as moderator of the New York Presbytery at a criti- 
cal period of its history. 

t In Bath, Maine, where he was minister from October, 1879, to June, 
1884. 




WILLIAM R. RICHARDS 



THE CHURCH OF THE PRESENT 479 

that there were two ways. They were familiar with 
what they would have called "Dr. van Dyke's way" 
and "Dr. Babcock's w^ay," and consciously or un- 
consciously, they had been wondering which of these 
two ways Dr. Richards would follow. But he fol- 
lowed neither. He had a way of his own. He had 
a singular skill — all the more singular for its quiet 
simplicity — in drawing a truth out of the old, famil- 
iar words of Scripture, into the light of present 
reality, and then unfolding it slowly to the mind of 
his hearers as the heat of the sun slowly unfolds a 
flower. 

The first effect was an absorbing intellectual inter- 
est; but before the hearer was well aware, he found 
that through the opened door of his mind the truth 
had entered in and laid hold upon his will. He had 
reached out to grasp it as a truth and found himself 
gripped by it as a duty. The applications of the 
sermon's principle to the concerns of daily life and to 
the vital problems of the time were so varied, so apt, 
so unescapable, and withal so simple and direct, and 
of such practical significance, that the message of 
Sunday became at once the guide of week-day living. 
It was found that Dr. Richards, by his quiet, orderly, 
and concrete method of exposition, had the rare 
power to show that the most spiritual truth is at the 
same time the most practical; and this power per- 
haps was in no way more strikingly evidenced than 
by the fact that, though he was recognized as a dis- 
tinctly intellectual preacher, yet more than once it 
happened, as it had in the case of Dr. Babcock, that 
families were drawn into permanent relation to the 
church because the young people of the household 



480 THE BRICK CHURCH 

had expressed unusual interest in Dr. Richards' 
sermons. * 

In the organization of the church's activities, the 
coming of the new pastor was speedily followed by 
several interesting and significant developments. It 
was felt that conditions then existing in the church 
itself would warrant, and the needs of the neighbor- 
hood demanded, a larger use of the church as a place 
of worship, that therefore its doors should no longer 
be closed for the greater part of the time, simply 
because no service happened to be in progress, and, 
moreover, that the number of the services themselves 
should be increased. 

The ideal of an ever-open door. Dr. Richards 
urged, is one that **any Christian church may well 
try to realize — especially a church like this, that is 
set on a hill and beside a main thoroughfare of the 
city." When these words were written in December, 
1903, the plan which it proposed was already in oper- 
ation. There had also been inaugurated two new 
services, and Dr. Richards' comments upon these 
ought also to be quoted. "Repeated requests," he 
said, "had reached us for the appointment of a ser- 
vice on some week-day afternoon, and the quiet con- 
gregations that have assembled for some weeks past 
every Friday at twilight give evidence that such a 
service meets a spiritual need of the community. 

"On the Lord's day especially," Dr. Richards 
continued, "we should wish that our room might be 
filled as often as possible with successive congrega- 
tions of different worshippers, thus ministering to 

* In the report to Presbytery on April Ist, 190G, the memberahip of 
the church for the first time exceeded 1,000. 



THE CHURCH OF THE PRESENT 481 

two or three times as many persons as the walls 
would hold at a single service. Accordingly, in addi- 
tion to our usual services of the morninor and after- 
noon, we recently announced another for the evening. 
Some of our friends, in view of the well-known diffi- 
culty of gathering a second Sunday congregation, 
treated the proposal of a third as somewhat audacious. 
That was the intention. But we think that the policy 
of advancing upon the enemy in the hallowing of the 
Lord's Day, however audacious, may be pleasanter, 
and in the long run safer, than any policy of contin- 
uous retreat." * 

One purpose in this freer use of the church had 
been to reach, not only more people, but more sorts 
of people. This was, indeed, an ideal that was mak- 
ing its presence increasingly felt in the church, both 
within the bounds of its own particular work and in 
its sharing of the labors of the affiliated churches. 
The open church and the new services were but sam- 
ples of a more general effort to make the ideal a 
reality, and it is pleasant to know that some measure 
of success could soon be recorded. Speaking in 
April, 1904, Dr. Richards said: "We have been 
much cheered to learn from a good many friendly 
testimonies that these efforts are bearing some fruit ; 
that many sorts of tired men and women passing our 
door, even when no service was going on, seeing the 
door hospitably open, have ventured in, and have 
found great comfort in this place of rest and prayer; 
that at our public services, and especially on Sunday 
evenings, a good many persons who had long been 
far from any sort of church connection, happening 

* " Year Book," 1903-1904, pp. 5 /. 



482 THE BRICK CHURCH 

in here, have felt themselves at home — have felt that 
they were made one with the people of God. Oh, 
I wish this house might be a house of prayer for all — 
all nations, all conditions, all opinions; a true sanct- 
uary of the peace of God; where, if ever, a Greek 
Christian and a Roman Christian happened to find 
themselves in the same pew, forgetting their age-long 
quarrel, they w^ould remember only that they are fel- 
low-disciples; where a Jew and a Samaritan might 
comfortably look over the same hymn book; or a 
Russian and a Japanese; or a bank director and the 
president of a labor union; or a college professor 
and a socialist; or a shop girl and her customer; or 
a master and his servant; or any two neighbors who 
for the last dozen years had passed without speaking 
on the street — here in this sanctuary all their old 
differences and grievances and misunderstandings 
forgotten — so completely forgotten that they could 
not recall them when they went out." 

The helpfulness of these new services, and no less 
of those that were not new, was greatly increased by 
the character of the music that the church was re- 
joicing in at this time. It was, in a way, a legacy 
from Dr. Babcock, for he had proposed the calling 
of Mr. Archer Gibson, then in Baltimore, to the oflSce 
of organist and choir-master ; but he had already de- 
parted on his journey to Palestine when Mr. Gibson 
be^an his w^ork in the Brick Church. Such music as 
the new organist produced from his choir of soloists 
and chorus had never been heard in the Brick 
Church before, music notable for its spirit of wor- 
ship even more than for its beauty of sound. The 
Brick Church organ, remarkable for its quality of 




CHOIR REHEARSAL AT THE CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 



THE CHURCH OF THE PRESENT 483 

sweetness and its mellowness of tone, * had never 
been played as Mr. Gibson played it. No better 
time could have been chosen for a multiplication of 
the Brick Church services, or for the exerting through 
them of a wider Christian influence upon the New 
York public, than the time when the church could 
offer this noble ministry of music. 

The activities of this period which thus far have 
been referred to, concerned chiefly the men and 
women; but the church was far from forgetting the 
boys and girls. On the contrary, taking the church's 
work as a whole, the part of it which related to the 
children was distinctly predominant. 

In the first place, the church's own Sunday-school 
made a distinct advance, under the leadership first 
of Mr. Alfred E. Marling and then of Dr. William 
V. V. Hayes. That it should be a large school is not 
possible, because it is situated in a neighborhood 
where the number of children is decidedly limited; 
but by patient and devoted work it has at least been 
made to cover successfully the restricted field, while 
in its method of teaching and in its plan of study it 
has been distinctly improved. 

The afliliated Church of the Covenant offers a 
very much larger field for work among the children, 
and it has been cultivated with a success propor- 
tionately great. The ingenuity of Dr. f Webster and 
of his helpers, especially Mr. Cady and Dr. Kimball 
of the Sunday-school, in arousing and holding the 
children's interest, and the response of the children 

* It was greatly improved in detail by Mr. Gibson himself, 
t He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Hamilton College 
in June, 1902. 



484 THE BRICK CHURCH 

both in numbers and in character-development, have 
together produced as pleasant a chapter of church 
history as could anywhere be found. There is no dan- 
ger that the Church of the Covenant will ever die out 
at the bottom ; and the sight of the pews full of chil- 
dren at a Covenant Sunday-morning service, or the 
sound of their singing, especially at the wonderful 
festivals at Christmas and at Easter, are not only a 
promise for the future, when these children shall have 
grown up and taken their place in the active work of 
the church; they are also an inspiration for to-day. 
The men and women in the Church of the Covenant 
get their sermons from two sources, from the lips of 
their beloved pastor and from the faces of their own 
children, who under the church's influence are al- 
ready unconscious carriers of the sw^eet gospel of 
Jesus Christ. 

In Christ Church, also, these recent years may be 
called the age of the children, * the age of clubs for 
girls and clubs for boys, of sewing-school and kinder- 
garten, of winter sports and summer outings, to say 
nothing of the great Sunday-school, which in 1907, 
celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, f 

* Among those who have contributed to the enlargement and increased 
efficiency of this part of the work, one volunteer worker, whose name has 
not yet been mentioned in this history, must here be gratefully recorded. 
No one has been a truer friend to the Christ Church children (or to their 
mothers, either, for that matter) than this resourceful, untiring, modest 
worker. Miss Mary Stewart. 

t Mr. Herbert Parsons, who had become superintendent in 1897, and 
who held that office till 1905, when his public duties required his presence 
in Washington during the greater part of the year, brought the school to 
a very high degree of efficiency. The system of regular examinations 
which he perfected, introduced a new standard of excellence in Bible 
study. He was succeeded by Mr. William S. Coffin, under whom the 
school still advances, meeting with enthusiasm and success the enlarging 






^M ^flflflHI "^■■— — gnn^ 








1 







CHILDREN'S ROOM AND KITCHEN. CHRIST CHURCH 
MEMORIAL HOUSE 



THE CHURCH OF THE PRESENT 485 

Mention has already been made of the movement, 
begun in the year of Dr. Babcock's ministry, and set 
a long way forward by the memorial gift of $50,000 
at the time of his death, to provide new buildings for 
all this work which had grown up in connection with 
Christ Church. To this movement Dr. Richards 
gave his hearty support. The attainment of the goal 
toward which it moved 'was to be the chief event of 
the early years of his pastorate. 

At his suggestion, a number of informal conferences 
were held in the winter of 1902-1903, and the whole 
subject thoroughly discussed. It so happened that 
real-estate conditions in the neighborhood of West 
Thirty-fifth Street had resulted in a large increase in 
the value of the Christ Church property. In view of 
the opportunity thus opened, it was deemed advisable 
to sell, and with the proceeds buy a site more central 
to the Christ Church congregation, that is, at a point 
slightly further north and west, where the lower 
prices would also make it possible to secure a lot of 
larger size. 

At a meeting held at the parsonage on April 23d, 
so favorable a sentiment was aroused that almost 
$25,000 was contributed on the spot, and before the 
season ended, including the original memorial gift, 
over $100,000 was in hand. With this sum the 
trustees were enabled to purchase an excellent lot, 
with a frontage of one hundred and twenty-five feet, 

opportunity. The large intermediate department maintains its old record 
of success under that staunch supporter of the Brick Church, universally 
beloved, Mr. William D. Barbour, assisted by his brother, Mr. Norman 
Barbour, among others. Miss Ziesse and Miss Stewart, with admirable 
skill and patience, take care of the swarms of smallest children, almost 
babies, in the primary. 



486 THE BRICK CHURCH 

on West Thirty-sixth Street between Eighth and 
Ninth avenues. 

In November, 1903, the general scheme for the 
new buildings was adopted. * Ground was broken in 
the middle of the following June, and on October 
26th, the second anniversary of Dr. Richards' in- 
stallation, the corner-stone was laid. *'The weather 
was favorable, and a large audience of ticket-holders 
was admitted to the first floor of the building 
which had been boarded over for the occasion. A 
large space at the west end of the building was re- 
served for the children of Christ Church Sunday- 
school, who marched in procession six or seven hun- 
dred strong from the old building to the new. Not 
the least interesting part of the audience, however, 
was composed of those who, having no admission 
tickets, crowded the windows and even the roofs of 
the tall tenements on every hand. Every point of 
vantage was occupied; the workmen sat upon the 
beams rising for the second story of the parish house 
in the rear, and the side windows of the adjoining 
tenements, usually so cheerless of outlook, were upon 
this occasion much sought for the sake of the view." f 
It was an appropriate and auspicious inauguration 
for a work whose purpose was to bring interest and 
cheer and every sort of uplift to the whole neigh- 
borhood. 

Meantime more money for the undertaking was 
coming in — $30,000, for example, at a single meet- 
ing of the men of the church. 

In the fall of 1905 the buildings were completed, 

* The architects being Messrs. Parish & Schroeder. 
t "Year Book," 1904-1905, pp. 167f. 



THE CHURCH OF THE PRESENT 487 

and on October 27th they were formally opened and 
two days later the church was dedicated. The entire 
group of buildings was designed to be memorial in 
its character. The church commemorated "the 
loving and faithful service of Henry van Dyke." It 
is a Gothic structure, presenting its side to the 
street, and forms architecturally the dominant feature 
of the group of buildings. Within, it is dignified and 
churchly — all the details being in excellent taste. 
No church of its size in the city is more attractive. 

The church house both perpetuated the gift of its 
predecessor in memory of Randolph McAlpin and 
also became a memorial to Dr. Babcock. It was 
necessarily much larger than the church, but the 
greater part of it was skilfully placed in the rear of 
the lot, where the high church roof completely con- 
cealed it from the street. It contained everything 
that Christ Church workers had been longing for 
and dreaming of for many a year. First of all, of 
course, there was a great Sunday-school room, where 
the work, out of which the whole organization had 
grown, might be continued on a still larger scale. 
Above, below, and around this central auditorium 
were placed bowling alleys, pool-room, library, 
gymnasium, workshop, kitchen, offices, rooms for 
church work, for kindergarten and for clubs and 
classes of various sorts, together with living quarters 
for the janitor and the workers. * 

* It may be noted at this point that while this larger enterprise was in 
hand, the Brick Church had also made some minor improvements in her 
own building. In the fall of 1903, by a shifting of the stairs and the addi- 
tion of a mezzanine in the "chapel" in the rear of the church, four new 
rooms and a large amount of closet-room were added, and the whole 
arrangement greatly improved- The lecture-room also was redecorated. 



488 THE BRICK CHURCH 

Every room in the building meant the meeting of 
a definite need whose reality had been amply tested 
by experience in the old quarters. There was noth- 
ing theoretical about it from cellar to roof; and no 
sooner had the transfer been made from the old 
building to the new, than the enormous benefits of 
the change began to manifest themselves. * The 
work commenced to expand at once; the neigh- 
borhood responded fully to the opportunity; and 
during the two and a half years that have passed 
since the building was opened for use, old enterprises 
have enlarged their scope and new activities f have 
sprung up, until every room is occupied for one pur- 
pose or another almost the whole week through. 
There is no busier, cheerier, more inspiring place in 
the whole city. 

And it was entirely paid for in a remarkably short 
space of time. By the sale of the old site and the 
continuance of contributions, the whole sum ex- 
pended had been received, and the last dollar paid, 
in the early summer of 1907. The total cost of land, 
buildings, and equipment was $382,097. 24. J 

A single event remains to be added to this brief 
sketch of the activities of the present pastorate. On 

* With the occupation of the new building :i more complete unification 
of the work at Christ Church, than had heretofore been possible, was 
achieved, with great gain in economy and efficiency. See " Rules of Gov- 
ernment," Appendix Y, page 548. 

t Most interesting, perhaps, among the new activities, has been the 
"Tuberculosis Class," organized in November, 1906, for the purpose of 
giving to a small group of sufferers the same sort of treatment in their 
homes that they would receive in special sanitariums. The work has been 
carried on by the devoted volunteer service of Dr. Walter L. Nilea and 
Miss F. V. Stewart, and its results have already proved the great practical 
value of the plan. 

t Of this amount $253,397.24 was met by subscription. 



THE CHURCH OF THE PRESENT 489 

January 22d, 1908, the Brick Church lost by death 
one of her strongest friends, one of her truest Chris- 
tians, Mr. Morris K. Jesup. Among the almost in- 
credible number of public interests in which he had 
actively shared, and to which he had given generously 
in money and personal service, the Brick Church 
held a prominent place. He had served on her board 
of trustees, and in much of her good work in recent 
years he had taken a leading part. When his will 
was read, it was found that he had bequeathed to the 
Brick Church the sum of $100,000, as an addition to 
its endowment fund, with the provision, however, 
that if the church should at any time remove from 
its present location, the money should revert to his 
estate. In his lifetime he had strongly counselled the 
turning of a deaf ear to all offers for the Fifth Avenue 
property. He believed that the church was needed 
where it was, and that it should be anchored there 
forever. Even if in the future the residences should 
all be driven northward and the Brick Church 
stand, as old Trinity does to-day, in a region given 
over wholly to business, there she ought still to stand, 
he thought; and in this his fellow-officers of the 
church heartily agreed with him. One of them said, 
on hearing of Mr. Jesup's generous bequest — and 
he probably expressed the thought of the whole con- 
gregation — "The condition of the gift is as welcome 
as the gift itself." If God will, may the Brick 
Church stand to serve him on the brow of Murray Hill 
as long as New York City occupies Manhattan Island. 

Seventeen hundred and sixty-seven to nineteen 
hundred and eight — one hundred and forty-one 



490 THE BRICK CHURCH 

years: it is, after all, but a short space of time, and 
what changes have been packed into it! At the be- 
ginning we saw the New Church erected on Beek- 
man Street, on the northern edge of the city that 
then existed. To-day the present Brick Church, 
more than three miles farther north, is already grap- 
pling with the problems of a downtown situation. 

These transformations in the outward surround- 
ings are most interesting to observe, but for the pur- 
poses of this volume they are far less interesting than 
the transformation that has gone on within the 
church itself. If the question be asked — as it some- 
times is, and with a tone that seems to call for a nega- 
tive reply — Is the Church of Christ alive .'' Is it 
something more than a venerable monument ? Does 
it maintain a true relation to the needs of successive 
generations of men, and is it capable of adapting its 
message and its ministry to the changed, and still 
changing, conditions of modern life.'* In particular, 
is the Church of Christ able so to enlarge its scope as 
to meet the tremendous social needs of our own day, 
and to become no longer a mere place of refuge for 
believers, but a head-quarters for apostles, from 
which the power of Jesus Christ, incarnated in Chris- 
tian men and women, shall go out to the relief of 
every kind of need, the righting of every kind of 
wrong, the supplying of every kind of good ? — if this 
question be asked, the facts of history related in this 
volume would seem to have some claim to make an 
aflfirmative and encouraging reply. 

Less than a century and a half ago there was on 
Beekman Street a congregation of godly men and 
women who, in living up to the light of their day, did 



THE CHURCH OF THE PRESENT 491 

produce a church whose interests centred chiefly in 
itself, in the maintaining of its own worship, the in- 
struction and training of its own membership, in 
short, the honoring of God and the following of 
Christ almost entirely within its own boundaries. 
Worship and preaching, the administering of the 
sacraments, parish visitation and the supervision of 
the morals of its members, the taking up of a collec- 
tion at the Sunday service — "one copper and no 
more," given alike by each member of the congrega- 
tion, and used almost exclusively for the church's 
own poor: such was the work of the church of 1767. 

Compare with this the Brick Church of to-day, 
and see what changes have been wrought by the 
spirit of Christ in the hearts of its five generations of 
members, in answer to the changing and increasing 
needs of the city, the nation, the world. Not so much 
because of the precise results achieved, the definite 
ministry rendered, ought this development to be 
pointed out, but because of the purpose which it re- 
veals, the living power to which it testifies — a prom- 
ise for the future even more than a record of the past. 

The latest report tells us that the people of the 
Brick Church contributed during the year, for the 
work of Christ's kingdom among men at home and 
abroad, something over $155,000. In the Brick 
Church itself, more numerous services are main- 
tained to-day than were ever regularly maintained 
on Beekman Street, to which should be added as many 
more in the two aflBliated churches; but to-day these 
services, and all the more personal work of religious 
and moral instruction and influence, no longer sat- 
isfy the ideal of the people, nor exhaust their ener- 



492 THE BRICK CHURCH 

gies. On the contrary, this distinctly religious min- 
istry is now regarded as the central and culminating 
department of a work which reaches out in every di- 
rection, to touch and uplift every interest of the neigh- 
boring population. 

The Brick Church, in union with Christ Church 
and the Church of the Covenant, that singularly per- 
fect example of true Christian brotherhood, has 
consciously undertaken the task of ministering to 
every need that it can discover in an entire district of 
New York City. It sets no limit to its responsibility. 
The nursing and doctoring of the sick; the improve- 
ment of the homes of the people ; the provision of in- 
struction and of the means of culture and of industrial 
training — books, classes, workshops; the arousing 
of a sense of civic pride and civic responsibility; the 
improvement of social and industrial conditions; the 
promotion of the happiness of individuals, through 
the ministry' of personal friendship, through oppor- 
tunities for wholesome social intercourse, through 
the encouragement of s{X)rts and other recreations — 
happiness for people of all ages, from the little chil- 
dren at their nursery games, to the fathers and the 
mothers, whose need of relaxation and refreshment 
Ix^comcs more and more pressing as the strain of our 
modern life grows greater — these are some of the 
activities to which the present church believes itself 
called by the voice of Jesus Christ. 

It is a great change from the conditions of 1767, 
but it hcts been accomplished, it should be observed, 
without the church's losing in the slightest degree its 
character as a church, without its ceasing for a mo- 
ment to be still an association of Christian believers. 





BOA\XING ALLEYS AND LIBRARY. CHRIST CHURCH MEMORIAL HOUSE 



THE CHURCH OF THE PRESENT 493 

of Christian worshippers, of teachers of Christian 
truth, of trainers in Christian character. But the old 
ideals and the old work have been transformed, re- 
generated, by a new baptism of the essential Chris- 
tian spirit of service. 

There is no intention to assert that the Brick 
Church has yet done its full duty, or that the service 
it has rendered has been adequate to existing needs. 
The aim is not at all to declare that the goal has been 
reached or even that it is within sight, but only to 
point out that the Church of Christ, as the typical 
history of the Brick Church makes evident, moves 
toward that goal with a certainty and a genuineness 
of purpose which cannot be mistaken. The Chris- 
tian Church is a living church. It lives in the pres- 
ent world, and hears the cries for help and shares 
the suffering and trouble, and knows that its com 
mission from the Master is to spend itself in ministry. 

If the history of this volume is a fair assurance 
that the Brick Church has made an inspiring ad- 
vance in the century and a half already completed, 
and, if it is a true prophecy of the direction of her 
development and of the distance that she will travel 
in the century and a half now lying before us, there 
is reason why the members of that church should 
thank God and press on with confidence and courage. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 



BIBLIOGRAPHY* 



I. KEY 

TO ABBREVIATIONS OF TITLES USED IN THE NOTES OP THIS VOLUME 

Assembly Digest See below, 

Br. Ch. Mem 

Church of the Covenant (The) 

Common Council 

Cutler's Life, etc 

Decade of Work (A) 

Disosway 

Document No. 37 

Eleven Years 

Historic Church (An) 

Jones N. Y. in Rev 

Life and Times 

Manuscript Hist 

Mem. Hist, of N. Y 

Memorial Discourse 

N. Y. in 1789 

Rodgers Mem 

Sprague's Annals 

State Thanksgiving, etc 

II. GENERAL AUTHORITIES 

CONSULTED IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS HISTORY 

ADAMS, JOHN, 2d President of the U. S.— 

1. Works of. (1850.) 

ALEXANDER, S. D.— 

2. The Presbytery of New York, 1738 to 1888. (N. Y. 1887.) 

BAIRD, SAMUEL J., Editor— 

3. * A Collection of the Acts, Deliverances and Testimonies of the 

Supreme Judicatory of the Presbyterian Church. (2d edi- 
tion, Phil., 1858.) 

♦Throughout the following lists an asterisk means that the work to 
whose name it is prefixed is contained in the Brick Church Library. 

497 



>ee be] 


ow. No. 3 




66 




90 




" 20 




8 




" 190 




9 




" 82 




" 111 




" 179 




" 13 




58 




" 191 




19 




" 110 




15 




34 




" 16 




" 166 



498 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

BANCROFT, GEORGE— 

4. History of the United States. 

BEECHER, REV. LYMAN— 

5. Autobiography of, ed. by C. Beecher. (N. Y., 1865.) 

BOURNE, W. O.— 

6. History of the Public School Society of New York. (1870.) 

CARTER, R.— 

7. Familiar Conversations on the History of the Evangelical 

Churches of New York. (N. Y., 1839.) 

CUTLER, REV. MANASSEH, LL.D — 

8. Life, Journals and Correspondence of, by his grandchildren. 

(1888.) 

DISOSWAY, GABRIEL P.— 

9. The Earliest Churches of New York and Its Vicinity. (N. Y., 

1865.) 

FERRIS, ISAAC F — 

10. Semi-Centennial Memorial Discourse of the Sunday-school 

Union. (1866.) 

GREENLEAF, J — 

11. A History of the Churches of all Denominations in New York. 

(N. Y., 1850.) 

IRVING, WASHINGTON- 
IS. Life and Times of, by P. M. Irving. (N. Y., 1883.) 

JONES, THOMAS— 

13. History of New York during the Revolutionary War. Edited 
by Edward de Lancy. (N. Y., 1879.) 

REED, NEWTON— 

1-1. Early History of Amenia, N. Y. (Amenia, 1875.) 

SMITH, T. E. v.— 

15. The City of New York in 1789. (N. Y., 1889.) 

SPRAGUE, REV. WILLIAM B., D.D.— 

16. Annals of the American Pulpit. (N. Y., 1858.) 

VAN PELT, DANIEL— 

17. Leslie's History of Greater New York. (N. Y., 1899.) 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 499 

WASHINGTON, GEORGE- 
IS. Writings of, ed. with Life, by J. Sparks, (Boston, 1837.) 

WILSON, JAMES GRANT, Editor— 

19. Memorial History of the City of New York. (N. Y., 1892.) 

MISCELLANEOUS— 

20. Common Council of the City of New York, Printed Minutes of. 

(N. Y., 1905.) 

21. New York City in the American Revolution. (N. Y., 1861.) 

22. * Presbyterian Reunion, The. (N. Y., 1870.) 

23. * Presbytery of New York, Hand-book of, for 1903-1904. 

24. Westervelt Manuscripts, Lenox Library. 

III. BOOKS 

RELATING TO THE BRICK CHURCH AND ITS OFFICERS AND MEMBERS, IN- 
CLUDING WORKS BY ITS MINISTERS 

ALLEN, MOSES— 

25. * Memorial of, containing the funeral sermon by Dr. L. D. 

Bevan. (N. Y., 1878.) 

BABCOCK, REV. MALTBIE DAVENPORT, D.D.— 

26. Thoughts for Every-day Living. (N. Y., 1901.) 

27. Letters from Egypt and Palestine. (N. Y., 1902.) 

28. Hymns and Carols. (N. Y., 1903.) 

28a. A Reminiscent Sketch of, by Charles E. Robinson, D.D. 
(N. Y., 1904.) 

BEVAN, REV. LLEWELYN D., D.D., see AUen Memorial, No. 25. 

CADY, J. CLEVELAND, LL.D., see Forty Years, etc.. No. 75. 

ELY, ABNER L.— 

29. * A Memorial of, containing the funeral sermon by Dr. James 

O. Murray. (N. Y., 1873.) 

HOGE, REV. W. J., D.D., see Brick Church Memorial, No. 56. 
HOLDEN, HORACE, see Brick Church Memorial, No. 56. 

LORD, DANIEI^ 

30. * Memorial of, including addresses by Dr. James O. Murray, 

Dr. Spring, and others. (N. Y., 1869.) 
See also Brick Church Memorial, No. 56. 



500 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

MILLER, REV. SAMUEL, D.D., LL.D.— 

31. A Brief Retrospect of the Eighteenth Century. (1803.) 

32. Letters Concerning the Constitution and Order of the Chris- 

tian Ministry. (1807.) 

33. A continuation of the same. (1809.) 

34. *Memoirs of John Rodgers. (1813.) 

35. Letters on Clerical Manners and Habits. (1827.) 

(The rest of Dr. Miller's published volumes, written after 
his departure from New York, need not be listed here. 
They are given in Sprague's Annals, Vol. Ill, p. 605.) 

36. Life of, by Samuel Miller. (Phil., 1869.) 

MORGAN, GOV. EDWIN DENISON— 

37. *Memorial of, including an address by Dr. Murray and a ser- 

mon by Mr. van Dyke. Also Memorials of Dr. and Mrs. 
E. D. Morgan, Jr., (N. Y., 1883.) 

MURRAY, REV. JAMES ORMSBEE, D.D., See Ely Memorial 
No. 29; Lord Memorial, No. 30; and Morgan Memorial 
No. 37. 

RICHARDS, REV. WILLIAM R., D.D.— 

38. *The Ways of Wisdom and other sermons. (N. Y., 1886.) 

39. An Extraordinary Saint, a sermon in the volume. The Culture 

of Christian Manhood, a collection of sermons preached in 
Battell Chapel, Yale University. (1897.) 

40. *Victory, An Easter Sermon. (Plainfield, 1902.) 

41. *For Whom Christ Died. (Phila., 1902.) 

42. *Sermon Commemorating the Two-Hundredth Anniversary 

of the Birth of Jonathan Edwards, preached at Andover 
Theological Seminar}', October 4th, 1903. Printed with 
the other proceedings. (Andover, 1903.) 

43. God's Choice of Men; a Study of Scripture. (N. Y., 1905.) 

44. The Apostles' Creed in Modern Worship. (N. Y., 1906.) 

See also Forty Years, etc., No. 75. 

ROBINSON, C. E., see No. 28a. 

SPRING, REV. GARDINER, D.D., LL.D.— 

45. *Essays on the Distinguishing Traits of Christian Character. 

(N. Y., 1813.) 

46. *Memoirs of the Rev. Samuel J. Mills. (N. Y., 1820). 

47. *Christian Confidence, illustrated by the Death of Rev. Ed- 

ward D. Griffen, D.D. (N. Y., 1838.) 

48. *Fragments from the Study of a Pastor. (N. Y., 1838.) 

49. The Obligations of the World to the Bible. (N. Y., 1839.) 

50. *The Attraction of the Cross. (X. Y., 1845.) 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 501 

51. *The Power of the Pulpit. (N. Y., 1848.) 

52. The Mercy Seat. (N. Y., 1850.) 

53. *First Things. (N. Y., 1851.) 

54. *The Glory of Christ. (N. Y., 1852.) 

55. *The Contrast. (N.Y., 1855.) 

56. *The Brick Church Memorial, including also addresses by 

Horace Holden, Daniel Lord, and Dr. Hoge. (N. Y., 
1861.) 

57. Pulpit Ministrations. (N.Y., 1864.) 

58. *Personal Reminiscences of the Life and Times of. (N. Y. 

1866.) 
See also Lord Memorial, No. 30. 

VAN DYKE, REV. HENRY, D.D., LL.D.— 

59. The Reality of Religion. (N. Y., 1884.) 

60. *The Story of the Psalms. (N. Y., 1887.) 

61. Straight Sermons, (1893.) A new and enlarged edition under 

the title * Sermons to Young Men, was published in 1898. 

62. *The Christ-Child in Art. (N. Y., 1894.) 

63. *The Story of the Other Wise Man. (N. Y., 1896.) 

64. *The Gospel for an Age of Doubt. (N. Y., 1896.) 

64a. The Meaning of Manhood, a Sermon in the volume, The Cult- 
ure of Christian Manhood, a collection of sermons 
preached in Battell Chapel, Yale University. (1897.) 

65. The First Christmas Tree. (N. Y., 1897.) 

66. *Ships and Havens. (N. Y., 1897.) 

67. The Lost Word. (N. Y., 1898.) 

68. *The Gospel for a World of Sin. (N. Y., 1899.) 

69. *The Poetry of the Psalms. (N. Y., 1900.) 

70. *The Toiling of Felix, and Other Poems. (N. Y., 1900.) 

71. The Friendly Year, edited by Rev. George S. Webster. (N. 

Y., 1900.) 

72. *Joy and Power. (N. Y., 1903.) 

73. *The Open Door. (N. Y., 1903.) 

74. The Spirit of Christmas. (N. Y., 1905.) 

See also Morgan Memorial, No. 37. 
74a. *Biographical Sketch of, by his daughter, Brooke van Dyke, 
see The van Dyke Book. (N. Y., 1905.) 
(Dr. Van Dyke has edited the Church Psalter, and also 
the Book of Responsive Readings used in the Chapel of 
Harvard University. He also composed a large part of the 
Presbyterian Book of Common Worship. His many vol- 
umes of a less distinctively religious character are not in- 
cluded in the above hst. Nos. 63, 65, 67, 70, 74, and also 
the poems " Vera"and " The Legend of Service," were first 
used at Christmas services in the Brick Church.) 



502 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

WEBSTER, REV. GEORGE S., D.D.— 

75. *Forty Years of Covenant Mercies, a Description of the His- 

toric Memorials in the Church of the Covenant, includ- 
ing addresses delivered January 28th, 1906, by Rev. Wil- 
liam R. Richards, D.D., and J. Cleveland Cady, LL.D. 
(N. Y. 1906.) 
See also The Friendly Year, No. 71. 

MISCELLANEOUS— 

76. *Brick Church Hymns (The), for Prayer-meetings, etc. 

(N. Y., 1823.) 
76a. *Sacrifice of Praise (The). Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual 
Songs, published by the session of the Brick Church. 
(N. Y., 1869; with tunes, 1872.) 

77. Year Books of the Brick Church for *1828, *1832, *1833, 

*1866, *1869 (two edtitions), 1885 and annually thereafter. 
(* from 1887-1888 to present except 1891-1892 and 
1896-1897.) 

IV. PAMPHLETS 

RELATING TO THE BRICK CHURCH, ITS AFFILIATED CHURCHES, AND THE 
OLD CHURCH OF THE COVENANT, OR WRITTEN BY THEIR PASTORS 

78. "Announcements" of the Brick Church, published weekly 

October to May of each year from 1890 to the present. 
(* All except 1901-1902 and 1902-1903.) 

BABCOCK, REV. MALTBIE DAVENPORT, D.D.— 

79. *The Success of Defeat, delivered at the Fourth Annual Con- 

vention of the Maryland Christian Endeavor Union, De- 
cember, 1893. (Baltimore.) 

80. *A Day of Testing, What Shall it Bring Out of Us ? Addresses 

delivered at the Memorial Service for the Martyred Mis- 
sionaries in China, October 28th, 1900. 

BEVAN, REV. LLEWELYN D., D.D.— 

81. *Service and Rest, a Sermon in Memory of Frederick Denison 

Maurice, M.A., preached at Tottenham Court Road 
Chapel. (London, 1872.) 

BOARD OF ALDERMEN— 

82. Document No. 37, relating to sale of property of Brick 

Church. 1854. 

DEWITT, JOHN— 

83. *James Ormsbee Murray, D.D., LL.D., A Memorial Sermon. 

(Princeton, 1899.) 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 503 

DODGE, HOSEA, see No. 167. 

"EVANGELICUS PACIFICUS," see Nos. 170 and 172. 

FARR, REV. JAMES M.— 

84. *The Story of the Christ Church Work: an Historical Sermon, 

including also an address by Mr. John E. Parsons, and a 
letter from Rev. Joseph J. Lampe, D.D. (N. Y., 1906.) 

85. *Fiftieth Anniversary of the Founding of the Christ Church 

Work. (1907.) 

FISHER, REV. SAMUEL, A.M.— 

86. *A Sermon preached May, 1821, in the Brick Church, New 

York, before the Presbyterian Education Society. (New- 
ark, 1821.) 

GRIFFEN, REV. EDWARD D., D.D.— 

87. *Living to God, a sermon preached June 16, 1816, at the 

Brick Presbyterian Church in the City of New York. 
(N. Y., 1816.) 

HOGE, REV. WILLIAM J., D.D— 

88. Installation Services of. (1859.) 

89. *A Discourse delivered on the resignation of his charge (colle- 

giate pastorate of the Brick Church), July 21st, 1861. 
(N.Y.,1861.) 

LAMPE, REV. JOSEPH J., D.D., see Story of Christ Church 
Work, No. 84. 

McILVAINE, REV. JAMES HALL, D.D.— 

90. *The Church of the Covenant, a Historical Sermon at the last 

service held in the church, February 11th, 1894. 

Mcknight, rev. john, d.d.— 

91. Six Sermons on Faith (recommended by Drs. Rodgers and 

Witherspoon). (1790.) 

92. A Thanksgiving Sermon. (1795.) 

93. A Sermon before the New York Missionary Society. (1799.) 

94. A Sermon on the Present State of the Political and Religious 

World. (1802.) 

95. A Sermon on the death of the Rev. John King. (1811.) 

MILLEDOLER, REV. P.— 

95a. A Sermon preached in the Presbyterian Church in Beekman 
Street, 1810, at the ordination and installation of the Rev. 
Gardiner Spring as pastor of said church. (N. Y., 1810.) 



504 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

MILLER, REV. SAMUEL, D.D.— 

96. A Sermon preached in New York at the request of the Tam- 

many Society and the Columbian Order, on the Anniver- 
sary of American Independence. (1793.) 

97. A Discourse delivered in the New Presb}i;erian Church before 

the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. (1795.) 

98. A Discourse Commemorative of the Discovery of New York 

by Henry Hudson. (N. Y. Historical Collection.) (1795.) 

99. A Sermon delivered in the New Presbyterian Church, New 

York, July Fourth, 1795, being the Nineteenth Anniver- 
sary of the Independence of America, at the request of and 
before, the Mechanic, Tammany, and Democratic Soci- 
eties, and the Military officers. (N. Y., 1795.) 

100. *A Discourse delivered April 12th, 1797, at the request of and 

before, the New York Society for the Promoting of the 
Manumission of Slaves and protecting such of them as 
have been or may be liberated. (N. Y., 1797.) 

101. A Sermon delivered in New York, May 9th, 1798, recom- 

mended by the President as a day of General Humiliation, 
etc. (1798.) 

102. *A Sermon delivered February 5th, 1799. Recommended by 

the clergy of the City of New York to be observed as a day 
of Thanksgiving, Humiliation, and Prayer, on account of 
the Removal of a malignant and mortal disease which had 
prevailed in the city some time before. (N. Y., 1799.) 

103. A Sermon delivered December 29th, 1799, occasioned by the 

death of General Washington. (1799.) 

104. A Sermon before the New York Missionary Society, April 

6th, 1802. (1802.) 

105. *The Guilt, Folly, and Sources of Suicide: two Discourses 

preached in the City of New York, February, 1805. 
(N. Y., 1805.) 

106. A Sermon preached March 13th, 1808, for the benefit of a so- 

ciety in New York for the relief of poor widows with small 
children. (1808.) 

107. *The Divine Appointment, the Duties and the Qualification 

of Ruling Elders: a Sermon, preached in the First Presby- 
terian Church in the City of New York, May 28th, 1809. 
(N.Y., 1811.) 

108. Address of Introduction at the ordination of Gardiner Spring, 

August, 1810. 

(Other pamphlets of Dr. Miller, published after his de- 
parture from New York, were very numerous, but need 
not be listed here. See Sprague's Annals, Vol. Ill, pp. 
605 /.) 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 505 

MURRAY, REV. JAMES ORMSBEE, D.D.— 

109. *Christian Hymnology: a Sermon preached in the Brick 

Church, New York, December 12th, 1869. (N. Y., 1870.) 

110. *A Discourse Commemorating the Ministerial Character and 

Services of Gardiner Spring, D.D., LL.D., with an Ap- 
pendix containing the addresses made at the funeral, 
August 22d, 1873. (N. Y.) 
For biographical sketch see No. 83. 

PARSONS, JOHN E. See the Story of the Christ Church Work, 
No. 84. 

PRENTISS. REV. GEORGE L., D.D.— 

111. *Eleven Years of the Church of the Covenant: a Sermon 

preached April 27th, 1873. (N. Y., 1873.) 

112. *Memorial of, prepared at the request of the Directors and 

Faculty of Union Theological Seminary, including the 
funeral address by Dr. M. R. Vincent. 

RICHARDS, REV. WILLIAM R., D.D.— 

112a. Revision of the Confession of Faith: two sermons preached 

in the Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church, Plainfield, 

N. J., September 22d, 1889. 
112b. Sermon preached on Sunday evening, January 25th, 1891, at 

the CrescentAvenuePresbyterian'Church, Plainfield, N. J. 

113. *The Ten Commandments Filled Full by Christ: a Sermon 

preached in the Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church, 
Plainfield, N. J., July 10th, 1892. 

114. *A Talk on Sunday Observance, published by the Woman's 

National Sabbath Alliance. 

115. *The City and Its Church: annual Address before the 

Alumni [of Hartford Seminary] and Pastoral Union, June 
2d, 1896. Reprinted from the Hartford Seminary Rec- 
ord for June and August, 1896. 

116. *Sermon delivered in the Crescent Avenue Presbyterian 

Church, Plainfield, N. J., May 20th, 1900. 

117. *Honor to Whom Honor is Due: sermon preached in the 

Brick Church, February 22d, 1903. (Sons of the Revo- 
lution.) 

118. *Desiring a Better Country: the Fourth Annual Sermon 

preached before the New England Society, on Forefathers' 
Day, December 20th, 1903. 

119. *In the Unity of the Faith: a Sermon preached April 10th, 

1904, on the Tenth Anniversary of the Consolidation of 
the Brick Church and the Church of the Covenant. (N. 
Y., 1904.) 



506 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

120. *The Ministry of Quiet Work : a Sermon. 

121. *National Prosperity: a Sermon in the interests of Home 

Missions, preached March 13th, 1904. 

122. *Angel or Man ? a Sermon preached April 17th, 1904. 

123. *Two Sermons, "Privilege" and "To Follow is to Believe." 

(N. Y., 1907.) 

RODGERS, REV. JOHN, D.D.— 

124. *The Divine Goodness Displayed in the American Revolu- 

tion: a Sermon. (N. Y., 1784.) 

RUGGLES, S. B.— 

125. An Examination of the Law of Burial. 

SPRING, REV. GARDINER, D.D., LL.D.— 

126. Sermon on Faith and Works, preached April 21st, 1811, for 

the benefit of a Society of Ladies instituted for the Rehef 
of Poor Widows with Small Children. (1811.) 

127. *Something Must Be Done: Sermon preached on the last day 

of the old year. (Newburyport, 1816.) 

128. *The Doctrine of Election : a Sermon. (Cooperstown, 1817). 

129. An Oration: February 5th, 1817, before the Alumni of Yale 

College, rendered in the City of New York in Commem- 
oration of their Late President, Timothy Dwight, D.D., 
LL.D. (N. Y., 1817.) 

130. A Brief Review of Facts in relation to the Formation of the 

New York Missionary Society of Young Men. (1817.) 

131. Remarks on the Charges made against the Religion and Mor- 

als of the People of Boston and Vicinity, with a Sermon 
preached at New York before the New England Society, 
December 22d, 1820. (1821.) The sermon was printed 
separately under the title,* "A Tribute to New England," 
(N.Y.,1821.) 

132. A sermon before the American Home Missionary Society. 

(1823.) 

133. *An Appeal to the Citizens of New York in behalf of the 

Christian Sabbath. (N. Y., 1823.) Reprinted * in mod- 
ern Greek, 1829, and in Italian. 

134. *The Discriminating Preacher: a Sermon at the ordination of 

the Rev. Carlos Wilcox. (Hartford, 1825.) 

135. The Excellence and Influence of the Female Character: a 

Sermon. (1825.) 

136. An Address of the Executive Committee of the American 

Tract Society. (1825.) 

137. The Internal Evidences of Inspiration. (1826.) 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 507 

138. Funeral Sermon, occasioned by the death of the Rev. Philip 

Melancthon Whepley. (N. Y., 1826.) 

139. A Dissertation on the Means of Regeneration. (1827.) 

140. Moses on Nebo, or Death a Duty: Sermon on the death of 

Rev. Joseph S. Christmas. (N. Y., 1830.) 

141. *A Tribute to the Memory of the Late Jeremiah Evarts. (N. 

Y., 1831.) 

142. *A Sermon Preached August 3d, 1832, a Day Set Apart for 

Public Fasting, etc., on account of the Malignant Cholera. 
(N. Y., 1832.) 

143. Address to the Theological Students at Princeton Seminary. 

(1832.) 

144. *Hints to Parents. (N. Y., 1833.) 

145. A Dissertation on Native Depravity. (N. Y., 1833.) 

146. The Extent of Missionary Enterprise : Sermon at the annual 

meeting of the Congregational Union of England and 
Wales. (London, 1835.) 

147. *The Will of God Performed on Earth: a Sermon preached at 

Utica, N. Y., October 8th, 1834, before the American 
Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. (Boston, 
1835.) 

148. The Power of Sin : a Sermon. (1837.) 

149. Christian Knowledge: a Sermon introductory to the Murray 

Street Lectures. (1837.) 

150. *An Address before the Mercantile Library Association of 

the City of New York. (N. Y., 1837.) 

151. *Death and Heaven: a Sermon preached at Newark at the in- 

terment of Rev. Edward D. Griffen. (N. Y., 1838.) Pub- 
lished in book form under the title. Christian Confidence, 
see No. 47. 

152. The New Sepulchre, Discourse on the Death of William 

Henry Harrison, April 11th, 1841. (1841.) 

153. Supremacy of God over the Nations, discourse preached May 

14th, 1841, a day of National Fast on the occasion of the 
Death of William Henry Harrison. (1841.) 

154. *The Danger and Hope of the American People, a discourse 

on the day of the annual Thanksigving in the State of New 
York. (N. Y., 1843.) 

155. The Saviour's Presence with His Ministers, delivered at the 

opening of the General Assembly at Louisville. (1844.) 

156. A Dissertation on the Rule of Faith, delivered at Cincinnati, 

Ohio, at the semi-annual meeting of the American Bible 
Society. (N. Y., 1844.) 

157. The Bible Not of Man, or the Argument for the Divine Origin 

of the Scriptures, drawn from the Scriptures Themselves. 
(N.Y.,1847.) 



508 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

158. The Bethel Flag: short Sermons to seamen. (1848.) 

159. Strictures on the Princeton Review. (1848.) 

160. *Influence: a Quarter-Century Sermon, preached in behalf of 

the American Tract Society. (1850.) 

161. Address before the New York Female Bible Society. (1853.) 

162. Triumph in Suffering : Sermon preached at the funeral of the 

Rev. Dr. Spencer. (1855.) 

163. Sermon at the Installation of the Rev. Dr. Hoge. (1859.) 

164. Sermon on the Death of Horace Holden, Esq. (1862.) 

165. The Mission of Sorrow. (1862.) 

166. *State Thanksgiving during the Rebellion: a Sermon preached 

November 28th, 1861. (N. Y., 1862.) 
For Memorial of, see above, No. 110. 

SPRING, DR., Pamphlets called forth by publications of: 

167. *A Review of a Sermon entitled The Doctrine of Election, 

etc., by G. Spring, A.M., by Hosea Dodge. (N. Y., 1817.) 

168. Strictures on the Rev. Dr. Spring's Dissertation on the Means 

of Regeneration, by Bennet Tyler. Reprinted from the 
" Christian Spectator " for 1829. (Portland, 1829.) 

169. Review of Dr. Tyler's Strictures (probably by Dr. Taylor of 

New Haven.) Reprinted from the " Christian Spectator" 
March, 1830. (New Haven, 1830.) 

170. An Evangelical View of the Nature and Means of Man's Re- 

generation, comprising a review of Dr. Tyler's Strictures, 
by Evangelicus Pacificus. (Boston, 1830.) 

171. A Vindication of the Strictures on Rev. Dr. Spring's Disser- 

tation on the Means of Regeneration, in reply to Evangel- 
icus Pacificus, by Bennet Tyler. (Portland, 1830.) 

172. An examination of Dr. Tyler's vindication of his Strictures in 

the "Christian Spectator," by Evangelicus Pacificus, 
(Boston, 1830.) 

173. Review of Dr. Spring's Dissertation on Natural Depravity. 

Reprinted from the "Quarterly Christian Spectator." 
(New Haven, 1833.) 

TAYLOR, DR. N. W., see No. 169. 

TYLER, BENNET., see Nos. 168 and 171, 

VAN DYKE, REV. HENRY, D.D., LL.D. 

174. *The Joy of the Christian when He is Invited to enter the 

Lord's House: Sermon preached at the reopening of the 
Brick Presbyterian Church, October 28th, 1883. 

175. *Holy Days and Holidays: a Humane View of the Sunday 

Question. Reprinted from the "Christian at Work," of 
February 11th, 1886. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 509 

176. *The National Sin of Literary Piracy. Extracts from a Ser- 

mon. (1888.) 

177. *A Brief for Foreign Missions: a Sermon preached March 

15th, 1891. 

178. *The True Presbyterian Doctrine of the Church. (N. Y., 

1893.) 

179. *An Historic Church: a Sermon preached on the 125th Anni- 

versary of the Brick Presbyterian Church, January 1st, 
1893. (N. Y., 1893.) 

180. *The Bible as It Is: a Sermon on the present trouble and the 

way of peace in the Presbyterian Church. (N. Y., 1893.) 

181. *The People Responsible for the Character of Their Rulers: 

a Sermon delivered before the Sons of the Revolution in 
the State of New York. (N. Y., 1895.) 

182. *The Cross of War: a Sermon preached May 1st, 1898. 

183. *The Sea, the Men upon It, and the God above It: a discourse 

before the American Seaman's Friend Society. (N. Y., 
1898.) 

184. *Salt: Baccalaureate Sermon at Columbia University. (N. 

Y., 1898.) 

185. *The American Birthright and the Philippine Pottage: a Ser- 

mon preached on Thanksgiving Day, 1898. 

VINCENT, REV. MARVIN R., D.D.— 

186. *Thirty-fifth Anniversary Sermon, preached January 27th, 

1901, in the Church of the Covenant. 
See also Prentiss Memorial, No. 112. 

WEBSTER, REV. GEORGE S., D.D.— 

187. *Quarter-Century Anniversary of Covenant Chapel: a Ser- 

mon delivered November 8th, 1891. 

188. *Souvenir of the Quarter-Century Anniversary of the Dedi- 

cation of the Church Building: historical sketch, dated 
January 1st, 1897. 

189. *Our Church God's Home. A review of four years' work as 

an independent church, dehvered January 2d, 1898. 

190. *A Decade of Work in the Church of the Covenant. (1900.) 

V. MANUSCRIPT SOURCES 

191. History of the Presbyterian Church in New York City tiU 

1795. Anonymous. Preserved in the back of the vol- 
ume next mentioned. 

192. Session Minutes of the First Presbyterian Church, 1765-1808 

(in the custody of the Old First Church). 

193. *Session Minutes of the Brick Church, 1809 to the present 

time, 7 Vols. 



510 BIBLIOGRAPHY 

194. *Trustees' Minutes of the Brick Church, 1809 to the present, 

2 Vols. 

195. *Minutes of the Brick Church Sunday-school, 1832-1850 

(with considerable gaps). 

196. *Sunday-school Record Books from 1839 (many years mis- 

sing). 

197. *Minutes of the Employment Society, 1869 to the present. 

198. *Treasurer's Accounts of the Female Auxiliary Tract Asso- 

ciation of the Brick Church, 1837-1861. 



APPENDICES 



APPENDICES 



APPENDIX A 

CHRONOLOGY 

note: events in the history of the old church of the cove- 
nant ARE ENCLOSED IN BRACKETS 

1706. First Presbyterian Worship in New York. 

1716. James Anderson, first minister. 

1727. Ebenezer Pemberton, second minister. 

1750. Alexander Cummings, colleague of Mr. Pemberton. 

1755. David Bostwick becomes minister. 

1755. Joseph Treat, associate minister. 

1765. John Rodgers succeeds Mr. Bostwick, September 4th. 

1766. The "Vineyard Lot" obtained, February 25th. 

1767. New Church built. 

1768. New Church opened, January 1st. 

1783. Thanksgiving after the Revolution, December 11th. 

1784. New Church reopened, June 27th. 

1785. James Wilson, colleague of Dr. Rodgers. 

1789. John McKnight, colleague of Dr. Rodgers. 

1790. Charity School opened. May 1st. 

1793. Samuel Miller colleague of Dr. Rodgers and Mr. McKnight. 

1809. End of the collegiate system, April 12th. 

1810. Installation of Gardiner Spring, August 8th. 

1810. Lecture-room built. 

1811. Death of Dr. Rodgers, May 7th. 
1815-16. Revival. 

1816. Sunday-schools started. 
1822. Beginning of choir. 
1832. Chapel replaces lecture-room. 
1856. Beekman Street property sold. 

513 



514 APPENDIX A 

1856. Last sen'ice on Beekman Street, May 25th. 

1857. Mission School started, October. 

1858. Present Brick Church dedicated, October 31st. 
18.39. Wilh'am J. Hoge, colleague of Dr. Spring. 

[18(50. Beginning of Church of the Covenant, November 25th.] 

18G2. W. G. T. Shedd, colleague of Dr. Spring. 

[18(J2. Church of the Covenant organized, March 21st.] 

[ISG2. George L. Prentiss installed. May 11th.] 

1805. James O. Murray, colleague of Dr. Spring. 

[18G5. Church of the Covenant dedicated, April 30th.] 

[lH()(i. Covenant Mission Sunday-school organized, Januar}' 28th.] 

1807. Joseph J. Lampe, pastor of Brick Church Mission. 

1867. Brick Church Mi.ssion Chapel dedicated, October 20th. 

1869. Last Old School and New School Assemblies meet in Brick 
Church and Church of the Covenant. 

1869. "The Sacrifice of Praise" published. 

[1871. Covenant Chapel dedicated, December 24th.] 

1873. Death of Dr. Spring, August 18th: Dr. Murray becomes sole 

pastor. 

[1873. Marvin R. Vincent succeeds Dr. Prentiss at Covenant, May 
8th.] 

1876. Parsonage purchased. 

1877. Llewelyn D. Bevan succeeds Dr. Murray, January' 16th. 
1883. Henry van Dyke succeeds Dr. Bevan, Januar\' 16th. 
1883. Church interior renovated: reopened, October 28th. 
1888. Mission becomes Christ Church, June 6th. 

[1888. James 11. Mcllvaine succeeds Dr. Vincent at Covenant, De- 
cember 17th.] 

[1890. George S. Webster, associate of Dr. Mcllvaine, March 19th.] 

[1893. Covenant Chapel becomes new Church of the Covenant, No- 
vember 30tli.] 

[1894. George S. Webster installed ])astor of new Covenant.] 
1894. Union of old Church of the Covenant and Brick Church, Dr. 
Mcllvaine becoming co-pastor with Dr. van Dyke, April 
12th. 

1896. Dr. Mcllvaine resigns. 

1897. Richard R. Wightman succeeds Dr. Lampe at Christ Church. 

1898. Christ Church House given. 

1900. Maltbie D. Babcock succeeds Dr. van Dyke, February 27th. 

1901. James M. Farr succeeds Mr. Wightman at Christ Church, 

January 24th. 
1901. Death of Dr. Babcock, May 18th. 

1901. Dr. van Dyke becomes minister-in-charge, December. 

1902. William R. Richards installed pastor, October 26th. 

1905. Christ Church Memorial Buildings dedicated, October 27th. 
1908. Morris K. Josuj) becjuesl. 



APPENDIX A 



515 



TO THIS CHRONOLOGY MAY BE APPENDED A LIST OF THE 

RED LETTER DAYS 

IN THE BRICK CHURCH CALENDAR 



January 1st. 

28th. 
February 25th. 
March 21st. 
April 12th. 



" 30th. 
June 6th. 
" 27th. 

October 20th. 

27th. 

28th. 

31st. 
November 30th. 
December 24th 



Church on Beekman Street dedicated, 1768. 

Covenant Mission Sunday-school organized, 1866. 

The "Vineyard Lot" obtained, 1766. 

Church of the Covenant organized, 1862. 

End of collegiate arrangement: the Brick Church 
becomes a separate organization, 1809. 

Union of Brick Church and the Church of the Cove- 
nant, 1896. 

Church of the Covenant dedicated, 1865. 

Christ Church organized, 1888. 

Beekman Street Church reopened after the Revolu- 
tion, 1784. 

The Thirty-fifth Street Mission Chapel dedicated 
1867. 

Christ Church Memorial Buildings opened, 1905. 

Reopening of Brick Church after decoration, 1883. 

Brick Church on Murray Hill dedicated, 1858. 

Present Church of the Covenant organized, 1893. 

Covenant Memorial Chapel dedicated, 1871. 



APPENDIX B 

MINISTERS OF THE BRICK CHURCH 

(1) as a coordinate part of the first presbyterian church 

John Rodgers 1767-1811* 

Joseph Treat (Colleague) 1767-1775t 

James Wilson (Colleague) 1785-1788t 

John McKnight (Colleague) 1789-1809t 

Samuel Miller (Colleague) 1793-1809t 

(2) AS A separate ecclesiastical organization 

Gardiner Spring 1810-1873* 

WiLUAM J. HoGE (Colleague) 18j9-1861t 

William G. T. Shedd (Colleague) . . . 1862-1863} 

James O. Murray (Colleague) 1865-1873 

(Sole Pastor) .... 1873-1875t 

Llewelyn D. Bevan 1 877-1 882t 

Henry van Dyke 1 883-1900} 

James H. McIlvaine (Co-pastor) .... 1894-1896} 

James M. Faur, Jr. (Assistant) 1897-190l} 

Maltbie D. Babcock 1900-1901* 

Henry van Dyke (Minister-in-Charge) . . 1901-1902 

Shepherd Knapp (Assistant) 1901-1908t 

William R. Richards 1902- 

♦ Died. t Resigned. 



616 



APPENDIX C 

ELDERS OF THE BRICK CHURCH 



Abraham Van Gelder ^ 
John Thompson 
Thomas Ogilvie 
Benjamin Egbert 
William Frazer 
John Bingham 
John Mills 



§ f 1809-1814t 

'i I 1809-1816t 

^ 1809-1815t 

J - ( 1809-1818t 

1809-1813t 
1 809-1 833t 
1809-1815t 



O 

Samuel Osgood 1809-1813t 

William Whitlock 1809-1836t 

Richard Cunningham 1815-1830* 

Rensselaer Havens 1815-1846* 

John Adams 1815-1855t 

Stephen Lockwood 1817-1827t 

Alfred de Forest 1817-1835* 

Orange Webb 1817f 

Horace W. Bulkley 1817-1832* 

William Williams, Jr 1817-1826* 

Peter Hawes 1823-1829t 

Abijah Fisher 1823-1832* 

Horace Holden 1823-18621 

George Douglass 1828-1831* 

Fisher How 1828-1831* 

Erastus Ellsworth 1828-1833* 

Moses Allen 1828-1877t 

Silas Holmes 1832-1856* 

Jasper Corning 1832-1834* 

Abner L. Ely 1832-1871t 

Daniel Lord 1834-1868t 

William Couch 1834-1868t 

John C. Halsey 1834-1837t 

Shepherd Knapp 1834-1875t 

James McCall 1834-1844* 

Thomas Egleston 1834-1838* 

Peter Naylor 1856-1872t 

Thomas Egleston 1856-1861t 

517 



518 APPENDIX C 

Richard S. McCulloh 1856-1860| 

James Darrach 1856-1865* 

Levi P. Stone 1856-1862* 

WiNTHROP S. Oilman 1 863-1 884t 

William Faxon 1863-1879* 

Ira Bliss 1863-1878t 

Samuel A. Church 1863-1879} 

Benjaahn F. Dunning 1863-1895t 

George A. Bennett 1863-1881* 

Charles Scribner 1870-1871t 

John E. Parsons 1870- 

George de Forest Lord 1870-18921 

Thomas C. M. Baton 1870-1878* 

Hamilton Odell 1870- 

JoHN C. Tucker 1881-1892t 

Ezra M. Kingsley 1881-1882* 

Charles G. Harmer 1881-1891t 

William N. Blakeman 1886-1890t 

Daniel J. Holden 1886-1897* 

Albert R. Ledoux 1886- 

William D. Barbour 1892- 

Hector M. Hitchings 1892- 

Adam Campbell 1892- 

Henry L. Butler 1892-1895t 

Henry D. Noyes 1894-1900} 

W. H. H. Moore 1894- 

WlLLIAM W. HOPPIN 1894- 

J. Cleveland Cady 1894- 

Theron G. Strong 1894- 

Alfred E. Marling 1894- 

Henry L. Smith 1904- 

Charles O. Kimball 1904- 

Edward C. Van Glahn 1904- 

Thomas E. Greacen 1904- 

William Van Valzah Hayes 1904- 

* Transferred to other churches, t Died, t Resigned from the Eldership. 



APPENDIX D 

CLERKS OF SESSION OF THE BRICK CHURCH 

Samuel Osgood 1809-1813 

Dr. Spring [?] 1813-1821 

Horace W. Bulkley 1821-1829 

Horace Holden 1829-1862 

Abner L. Ely 1863-1871 

Hamilton Odell 1871-1894 

Daniel J. Holden 1894-1897 

Hamilton Odell 1897- 



APPENDIX E 

DEACONS OF THE BRICK CHURCH 

note: when the second date is placed in brackets, the mean- 
ing IS THAT the person DIED OR WAS DISMISSED TO ANOTHER 

church at that time, but whether he had continued to 
serve as deacon till then is not certain. 

Richard Cunningham 1809-1815* 

Mr. Hutchins 1809- ? 

William Miller 1809- ? 

John Stephens 1815- ? 

William Al-Burtis 1817-[1822 or 1823^] 

John C. Smith 1817- ? 

William Luyster 1823- ? 

William Couch 1823-1834* 

John McComb 1827-[l853t] 

Erastus Ellsworth 1827-1828* 

Daniel Oakley 1828-[l840t] 

John C. Halsey 1828-1834* 

NicoLL H. Dering 1832- ? 

Shepherd Knapp 1832-1834* 

Elijah Mead 1832-[184lt] 

Richard Harding 1834- ? 

Abraham Bokee 1834-[1851t] 

John R. Davison 1834-[l837i] 

Samuel Brown 1834-[1844t] 

Peter Naylor 1841-1856* 

Ira Bliss 1841-1863* 

Jacob L. Baldwin 1841-[1886t] 

Levi P. Stone 1841-1856* 

Oliver E. Wood 1841-[1846f] 

John C. Tucker 1860-1881* 

Robert Stewart I860-? 

Samuel A. Church 1860-1863* 

Thomas Paton 1860-[1870|] 

John Wilmarth 1863-[1882t] 

George de Forest Lord 1863-1870* 

520 



APPENDIX E 521 

George W. Comstock 1863-1889t 

William N. Blakeman 1870-1886* 

Theodore Oilman 1870-[1879tl 

Arthur W. Parsons, Jr. 1870-[1884t] 

William D. Barbour 1874-1892* 

Daniel J. Holden 1874-1886* 

Jacob B. T. Hatfield 1874- ? 

Daniel Parish, Jr 1874- 

Lucius D. BuLKLEY 1886-1896§ 

William Burhans Isham 1 890-1 897| 

William W. Van Valzah 1890- 

Adam Campbell 1890-1892* 

Edward W. Davis 1890-1892t 

Caldwell R. Blakeman 1892- 

WiLLiAM F. Dunning 1892-1907t 

Edward W. Davis 1892- 

WiLLiAM O. Curtis 1894- 

WiLLiAM Seward 1894-1895§ 

Charles O. Kimball 1894-1904* 

Charles W. McAlpin 1894- 

Henry N. Corwith 1894- 

Gerard Beekman Hoppin 1894- 

GuY Richards McLane 1907- 

E. D. Murphy 1907- 

William H. Wheelock 1907- 

* Transferred to the Eldership, t Died, t Transferred to other churches. 
$ Resigned. 



APPENDIX F 

TRUSTEES OF THE BRICK CHURCH 

Samuel Osgood 1809-1813t 

John R. Murray 1809-1814 

John Mills 1809-1815 

Benjamin Egbert 1809-1815 

John Bingham 1809-1816 

Grove Wright 1809-1819 

Richard Cunningham 1809-1819 

John Adams 1809-1819 

Peter Bonnett 1809-1 825t 

Rensselaer Havens 1814-1819t 

Gabriel Havens 1814-1825 

James Lovett 1815-1824 

Stephen Lockwood 1816-1825t 

John McComb 1816-1825 

Jonathan Thompson 1819-1823t 

Jacob Drake 1819-1825 

Anson G. Phelps 1819-1828 

William Couch 1819-1868 

Moses Allen 1823-1835 

Robert C. Cornell 1824-1825t 

Jonathan Thompson 1825-1834 

Benjamin de Forest 1825-1834 

John C. Halsey 1825-1837 

Stephen Lockwood 1 826-1 827t 

Rensselaer Havens 1826-1827 

Lockwood de Forest 1826-1830 

George Douglass 1827-1830 

Peter Bonnett 1827-1848 

Shepherd Knapp 1829-1835t 

Robert C. Cornell 1830-1833t 

Abijah Fisher 1830-1833 

James McCall 1833-1836^ 

Eli Goodwin 1833-1836 

George S. Robbins 1834-1837 

Robert C. Cornell 1834-1845t 

Daniel Parish 1835-1838 

Henry H. Schieffeun 1835-1841 

522 



APPENDIX F 523 

Drake Mills 1836-1848t 

Horace Holden 1 836-1 862t 

James McCall 1837-1843 

Paul Spofford 1837-1864 

Thomas Egleston 1841-1861f 

Augustus Whitlock 1843-1864 

Ira Bliss 1846-1864 

Shepherd Knapp 1847-1874 

Richard J. Hutchinson 1848-1851 

John M. Nixon 1848-1869t 

Drake Mills 1851-1863} 

Abner L. Ely 1862-1871t 

Peter Naylor 1862-1872} 

WiNTHROP S. Oilman 1863-1874 

Hanson K. Corning 1864-1867 

John Wilmarth 1864-1867 

Thomas C. M. Paton 1864-1878 

Henry Parish 1867-1876 

Frederick W. Downer 1867-1882 

William Black 1868-1874t 

Edwin D. Morgan 1869-1883} 

John L. Ludlam 1871-1878 

Daniel Judson Holden 1873-1903 

Thomas P. Eldridge 1874t 

George de Forest Lord 1874-1892f 

William B. Isham 1874- 

IsAAC N. Phelps 1875-1888t 

Daniel Parish, Jr 1876- 

Josiah G. Holland 1878-1881t 

John E. Parsons 1878- 

Frederick Billings 1882-189l| 

Shepherd Knapp 1882-1892 

Charles A. Miller 1883-1897t 

Silas H. Witherbee 1889t 

John A. Stewart 1890- 

CoRNELius B. Gold 1891-1892 

Frederick Billings 1892-1894 

Benjamin H. Bristow 1892-1894 

Robert Olyphant 1893-1894 

Eugene Smith 1894- 

Arthur M. Dodge 1894-1896 

Joseph H. Parsons 1894-1898 

D. Hunter McAlpin 1896- 

WiLLiAM D. Barbour 1898- 

Charles E. Merrill 1898- 

tDied in office. J Reelected later. 



APPENDIX G 

PRESIDENTS OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES 

Samuel Osgood 1809-1813 

Benjamin Egbert 1814-1815 

Rensselaer Havens 1815-1818 

Peter Bonnett 1818-1825 

Anson G. Phelps 1825-1827 

Peter Bonnett 1827-1848 

William Couch 1848-1868 

Shepherd Knapp 1868-1874 

Edwin D. Morgan 1874-1883 

William B. Isham 1883-1904 

John E. Parsons 1904- 



APPENDIX H 

TREASURERS OF THE BRICK CHURCH 

Samuel Osgood 1809-1813 

Rensselaer Havens 1813-1819 

Jonathan Thompson 1819-1823 

William Couch 1823-1826 

Benjamin de Forest 1826-1829 

John C. Halsey 1829-1836 

William Couch 1836-1844 

Augustus Whitlock 1844-1862 

Abner L. Ely 1862-1871 

John L. Ludlam 1871-1877 

Frederick W. Downer 1877-1882 

Shepherd Knapp 1882-1892 

Charles A. Miller 1892-1898 

William D. Barbour 1898- 



APPENDIX I 

CLERKS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES 

John R. Murray 1809-1812 

John Adams 1812-1818 

Stephen Lockwood 1818-1825 

Moses Allen 1825-1827 

Lockwood de Forest 1827-1828 

John C. Halsey 1828-1829 

William Couch 1829-1831 

Shepherd Knapp 1831-1833 

William Couch 1833-1836 

Henry H. Schieffelin 1836-1841 

Thomas Egleston 1841-1861 

Ira Bliss 1861-1862 

John M. Nixon 1862-1869 

Frederick W. Downer 1869-1870 

Henry Parish 1870-1871 

Frederick W. Downer 1871-1876 

Daniel J. Holden 1876-1894 

Eugene Smith 1894- 



APPENDIX J 

SUPERINTENDENTS OF THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

B. J. Seward 1827-? 

Erastus Ellsworth 1832-1833 

Albert Woodruff 1833 

B. J. Seward 1833-1834 

Daniel Lord, Jr 1834-1837 

Horace Holden 1837-1838 

Moses Allen 1838-1840 

Dr. Spring 1840- ? 

Abner L. Ely 1846-1850 

Thomas Davenport 1850-1851 

Abner L. Ely 1851-1854 [?] 

(School discontinued 1854-Nov., 1856) 

Horace Holden 1856-1862 

Algernon Sidney Sttllivan ? 

Hamilton Odell 1869-1876 

Arthur W. Parsons ? 

Ezra M. KiNGSLEY . 1880[?H881 

Hamilton Odell {ad interim) 1881 

Walter Squires (ad interim) 1881 

Albert R. Ledoux 1882-1892 

L. Duncan Bulkley 1892-1896 

Alfred E. Marling 1896-1903 

William V. V. Hayes , . , 1903- 



APPENDIX K 

SEXTONS OF THE BRICK CHURCH 

Epenetus Smith 1809-1814 

John G. Yonge 1814-1820 

Henry Spies 1820-1830 

James S. Hull 1831-1873 

Nathaniel H. Hodgson 1873-1897 

Charles R. Culyer * 1894- 

* Mr. Culyer had been sexton of the old Church of the Covenant, 1861- 
1894. 



APPENDIX L 

PASTORS OF THE CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 

George L. Prentiss, 1862-1873 

Marvin R. Vincent, 1873-1888 

James Hall McIlvaine, 1888-1894 

George S. Webster, Associate Pastor . . . 1890-1894 



APPENDIX M 

ELDERS OF THE CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 

GuRDON Buck 1862-1877t 

Hermon Griffin 1862-1865t 

Frederick G. Burnham 1862-1865* 

Henry D. Noyes 1865-1894 

John P. Crosby 1865-18761 

Alfred C. Post 1 866-1 886t 

M. M. Backus 1866-1886* 

Wm. E. Dodge 1868-1883t 

Thos. Denny 1 868-1 874t 

Benj. F. Butler 1868-1874* 

W. H. H. Moore 1868-1894 

Chas. T. White 1874-1890t 

L. N. Lovell 1875-1880* 

J. C. Cady 1876-1894 

W. W. HoppiN 1877-1894 

S. J. Storrs 1880-1892t 

Theron G. Strong 1883-1894 

Thos. Greenleaf 1 886-1 890t 

J. M. Fairchild 1886-1888i 

St. John Roosa 1887-1888t 

Chas. O. Kimball 1890-1894 

Alfred E. Marling 1890-1894 

D. H. WiESNER 1890-1894t 

* Removed from the city, f Died. X Transferred to other churches. 



APPENDIX N 

DEACONS OF THE CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 

J. C. Cady 1866-1876 

T. B. Hidden 1866-1874 

E. P. Griffin 1866-1870 

Chas. O. Kimball 1868-1890 

Chas. T. White 1868-1874 

L. N. LovELL 1868-1874 

W. W. HoppiN 1868-1877 

Wm. R. Sheffield 1868-1869 

Henry A. Crosby 1868-1882 

George B. Bonney 1871-1882 

S. J. Storrs 1874-1880 

R. G. BusHNELL 1876-1882 

John Keeler 1881-1894 

H. G. Starin 1881-1883 

T. G. Strong 1881-1883 

W. O. Curtis 1881-1894 

Wm. Seward 1882-1894 

Lucius Beers 1886-1892 

C. S. McKay 1886-1894 

D. H. WiESNER 1886-1894 

W. D. Moore 1890-1894 

Chas. W. McAlpin 1890-1894 

G. B. HoppiN 1893-1894 

Henry N. Corwith 1894 



APPENDIX O 

TRUSTEES OF THE CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 

Charles Butler, President .... ^1863-1894 



Enoch Ketcham 



Charles H. Leonard ^ 



1863-1894 

1863-1868t 

1863-1876 

1863-1872 

1863-1875 

1863-1874 

1863-1865 

1863-1874 



■X- 

-a 

D, S. Appleton rt 

E. p. Griffin pq / 

M. M. Backus * 

Henry D. Noyes 

f. g. burnham 

Benj. F. Butler, Secretary and Treasurer 

Thos. N. Dale 1865-1870 

D. H. McAlpin 1865-1887 

Chas. T. Raynolds 1869-1872 

J. H. Carrington 1870-1876 

W. A. Hall 1873-1878 

Zophar Mills 1873-1887t 

Robert Hoe, Jr., Secretary and Treasurer . . 1873-1883 

Robert Gordon 1873-1883 

Oliver S. Fleet 1875-1893 

Norman N. Dodge 1880-1886 

Joseph R. Skidmore 1880-1882t 

Harvey Fisk 1882-1886 

Joseph H. Parsons 1883-1894 

E. B. Oakley 1883-1884 

Eugene Smith, Secretary and Treasurer . . 1883-1894 

Chas. D. Adams 1885-1889t 

Chas. E. Merrill 1887-1894 

Joseph R. McAlpin 1 887-1 888t 

Arthur M. Dodge 1886-1894 

D. H. McAlpin, Jr 1889-1894 

Oliver B. Jennings 1 890-1 893t 

Wm. C. Osborn 1893-1894 

Alfred R. Kimball 1893-1894 

* The first board of trustees was elected February 17th, 1863. At their 
first meeting Charles Butler was elected president, and held that office till 
the church was merged in the Brick Church in 1894. 

t Died. 

632 



APPENDIX P 

ORIGINAL MEMBERSHIP OF THE CHURCH 
OF THE COVENANT 



Abbot, Rebecca S., 
Appleton, Malvina W., 
AspiNWALL, Louisa E., 
Buck, Gurdon, 
Buck, Henrietta E., 
Buck, Amelia H., 
Buck, Susan M., 
Burger, Mary, 
Burger, Sarah Augusta, 
Burger, Sophia, 
Butler, William Allen, 
Butler, Mary R., 
Butler, Eliza Ogden, 
Butler, Lydia Allen, 
Butler, Benjamin F., 
Butler, Ellen G., 
Butler, Charles, 
Butler, Eliza A., 
Butler, Emily Ogden, 
Butler, Eliza A., 
Betts, George F., 
Betts, Ellen P., 
Bleecker, F. Matilda, 
Bronson, Anna E., 
Burnham, Frederick G., 
Cady, J. Cleveland, 
Cannon, Mary B., 
Corning, Jane B., 
Curtis, Edwin, 
Curtis, Mary, 
Curtis, Rebecca, 
Curtis, Phebe Eliza, 
Curtis, William O., 



De Forest, Margaret, 
DoNAGHE, James, 
Donaghe, Antoinette, 
DoNAGHE, W. R., 
Griffin, Hermon, 
Griffin, Louisa G., 
Griffin, Edward P., 
JuDD, David W., 
Ketcham, Enoch, 
Ketcham, E. R. Van A., 
Kimball, Horace E., 
Kimball, Horace, 
Kimball, Mary D., 
Leeds, Catharine G., 
Leeds, Mary Eliza, 
Leonard, Charles H., 
Leonard, Elizabeth, 
Lock WOOD, Roe, 
LocKwooD, Julia G., 
LocKwooD, Louisa M., 
LocKwooD, Elizabeth R., 
Lord, Daniel D., 
Lord, Mary H., 
McCuRDY, Robert H., 
McCuRDY, Gertrude M., 
McCuRDY, Robert Wolcott, 
McCuRDY, Sarah Lord, 
Merritt, Frances, 
NoYEs, William Curtis, 
NoYES, Julia F., 
NoYEs, Emily C, 
Prentiss, Elizabeth, 
Quick, A. J., 



533 



534, 



APPENDIX P 



Rhinelander, Frances D., 

SCHERMEHHOHN, CaTHARINE Go 

Schermerhorn, Louisa N., 
Sims, Elizabeth, 
Skinner, Frances L., 
Skinner, Mary D., 
Skinner, Helen, 
Smith, Elizabeth L., 
WOOLSEY, EuzA J., 



Woolsey, Abbey H., 

WoOLSEY, GeORGIANA M., 

WoousEY', Jane S., 
Woolsey, Charles W., 
Woolsey, Theodore B., 
WooLSE^-, Catharine Cecil, 
Woodworth, D. Aistin, 
Woodworth, Caroline Reed. 



APPENDIX Q 

PASTORS OF THE BRICK CHURCH MISSION, AND OF 
ITS SUCCESSOR, CHRIST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 

John Kimball 1859-1862 

A. E. RuLiFSON 1862-1864 

GovELLO B. Bell 1865-1867 

Joseph J. Lampe (installed, 1888*) .... 1867-1895 

Richard R. Wightman 1897-1900 

James M. Farr 1901- 

* When the chapel became Christ Church. From that time all the 
pastors were installed. 



APPENDIX R 

PASTORS OF THE COVENANT CHAPEL, AND OF ITS 
SUCCESSOR, THE CHURCH OF THE COVENANT 

Howard A. Talbot 1875-1881 

Henry T. McEwen 1881-1887 

Edwin E. Rogers 1887-1889 

George S. Webster (installed*) .... 1890- 

* In 1890 as associate of Dr. Mcllvaine in the old Church of the Cove- 
nant, and again in 1894 as pastor of the present Church of the Covenant. 



APPENDIX S 

NAMES OF PEW-OWNERS IN 1853, 

WHO, AT A CONGREGATIONAL MEETING ON FEBRUARY IST OF THAT 
YEAR, REQUESTED THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES "tO TAKE THE NECES- 
SARY STEPS TO DISPOSE OF THEIR CHURCH PROPERTY IN THE SECOND 
WARD, WITH A VIEW TO SECURE A NEW LOCATION BETTER 
SUITED TO THE PRESENT WANTS OF THE PEOPLE." 

NAMES OF OWNERS NOS. OF PEWS 

Horace Holden 47 and 48 

Drake Mills ^ 

Andrew Whitlock 14 and 40 

Wm. H. de Forest 1^1 

Russell Dart ^^^ 

Moses Allen 89 and 62 

Abner L. Ely ^1 

T. and J. S. Davenport 65 

John C. Tucker 98 

Mary Murray ^^ 

William Couch 8 and 54 

Peter Naylor 1^^ 

Daniel Lord 16 and 19 

Paul Spofford - 8" 

S. ROBBINS ^'^'^ 

Gardiner Spring 13* 

Wm. H. Bonnett 83 

Chas. Mills 6* 

Mrs. p. Bonnett ^^ 

Mrs. G. E. van Desburgh 84 

RoBT. Adams ^^ 

Estate of J. C. Halsey, dec'd 81 

Moses A. Hoppock '^ 

Estate of Wm. Adee, dec'd ^"^ 

D. Thompson ** 

J. B. Varnum 104 

Estate of Lucretia Morrell, dec'd .... 78 

Thos. Egleston 136 

537 



538 APPENDIX S 

names of owners nos. of pews 

Dan. Bonnett 23 

S. Knapp, by G. Lee Knapp, Atty 85, 87, 139 

Eliza Downer 130 

Estate of A. Girard, dec'd 10 

Estate of S. Fulton, dec'd 46 

Daniel H. Magee 21 

Estate of Ellis Potter, dec'd 41 

George J. Cornell 9 

John McComb 95 

Sam'l Marsh 66 

j. woodhead 88 

Jas. W. Mills, for Mrs. Mills 93 

Estate of Mrs. Eliza Archer, dec'd 68 

Maria McElwain 2 

G. R. Downing 133 

M. Allison 126 

John P. Tredwell 59 and 60 

R. Cheeseborough 15 

Daniel Parish 97 

Catherine McCollick 70, gallery 

Estate of P. Judson, dec'd 76 

Joseph Bartlett 13, gallery 

Estate of P. Hawes, dec'd 50 

R. J. Hutchinson 92 

Estate of Eli Hart, dec'd 101 

E. C, Delavan 52 

John R. Davison 106 

a. p. cummings 103 

Daniel Oakley 96 

Calvin H. Merry Ill 

Joseph Kernochon 135 

John West 141 

Geo. Smith 64, gallery 

Estate of Jonas Addams 108 

Eli Goodwin 46 

John Saxton 79 

B. K. Hobart 116 



APPENDIX T 

"FORM OF ADMISSION INTO THE BRICK PRESBYTE- 
RIAN CHURCH," 

RECORDED IN THE SESSION MINUTES, APRIL 3d, 1829, AS THE "PRO- 
FESSION AND COVENANT," IN USE IN THE CHURCH, BUT NEVER 
BEFORE ENTERED ON THE MINUTES. 

You have presented yourselves in this public manner, before God, to 
dedicate yourselves to his service, and to incorporate yourselves with 
his visible people. You are about to profess supreme love to God, sin- 
cere contrition for all your sins, and faith unfeigned in the Lord Jesus 
Christ. [Relying on the strength of divine grace, you are about to enter 
into a solemn covenant to receive the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as 
they are offered in the gospel, and to walk in all the commandments and 
ordinances of the Lord blameless.] * We trust you have well consid- 
ered the nature of these professions and engagements. The transaction 
is solemn, and will be attended with eternal consequences. God and 
holy angels are witnesses. Your vows will be recorded in heaven, to be 
exhibited on your trial at the last day. 

Yet be not overwhelmed with these reflections, hi the name of Christ 
you may come boldly to the God of grace, and if you have sincere de- 
sires to be his, may venture thus unalterably to commit yourselves, and 
trust in him for strength to perform your vows. 

Attend now to the Profession and Covenant. 

In this public manner you do humbly confess and bewail the original 
and total depravity of your nature, the past enmity of your heart against 
God, the unbelief which has led you to reject a Saviour, and the mani- 
fold transgressions of your lives: — all which sins you do condemn and 
in your purpose forever renounce. 

And now in the presence of God, his holy angels, and this assembly, 
you do, so far as you know your own hearts, solemnly avouch the Lord 
Jehovah to be your God and Portion and the object of your supreme 
love and delight; the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Saviour from sin and 
death, your Prophet to instruct you, your Priest to atone and intercede 

* All passages in brackets are omitted in a manuscript copy in the 
hand-writing of Dr. Spring. 

539 



540 APPENDIX T 

for you [your Righteousness to justify you], your King to rule, protect, 
and enrich you; and the Holy Ghost to be your Sanctifier, Comforter, 
and Guide, to whom only you look for light, holiness, and peace. 

To this Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, you do now 
without reserve give yourselves away in a Covenant never to be revoked, 
to be his willing servants forever, to observe all his commandments and 
ordinances, in the sanctuary, in the family, and in the closet. You do 
also bind yourselves by covenant to this church, to watch over us in the 
Lord, to seek our peace and edification, and to submit to the govern- 
ment and discipline * of the gospel as here administered. This you 
severally profess and engage. 

(The ordinance of baptism, if not previously received, will here be 
administered.) 

In consequence of these professions and promises, we f affectionately 
receive you as members of this church and in the name of Christ declare 
you entitled to all its visible privileges. [We welcome you to this fel- 
lowship with us in the blessings of the gospel, and on our part engage to 
watch over you and seek your edification as long as you shall continue 
among us. Should you have occasion to remove, it will be your duty to 
seek, and ours to grant, a recommendation to another church, for here- 
after you cannot withdraw from the watch and communion of the 
saints without a breach of covenant. And now, beloved in the Lord,] f 
let it be impressed on your minds that you have entered into solemn 
relations which you can never renounce, and from which you can never 
escape. Wherever you are, whether continuing among us or seeking the 
same privileges elsewhere, these vows will remain. § They will follow 
you to the Bar of God; and in whatever world you may be fixed, will 
abide on you to eternity. You can never again be as you have been. 
You have unalterably committed yourselves, and henceforth must be 
the servants of God. Hereafter the eyes of the world will be upon you; 
and as you conduct yourselves, so religion will be honored or dis- 
graced. If you walk worthy of your profession, you will be a credit and 
a comfort to us; but if it be otherwise, you will be to us a grief of heart 
and a vexation. 

"But, beloved,! I we are persuaded better things of you, and things 

* In the MS. of Dr. Spring this reads "government, discipline, and 
ministrations." 

t In the MS. of Dr. Spring this continues, "we thus publicly declare you 
to be members of this church and entitled to all its visible privileges." 

X In place of the bracketed words the MS. of Dr. Spring has, "and 
while we thus welcome you to this fellowship with us in the blessing of the 
gospel." 

$ In the MS. of Dr. Spring the following sentence is here added, "they 
will bind you in whatsoever part of the earth you dwell." 

II Dr. Spring herein inserts, in the Lord. 



APPENDIX T 541 

that accompany salvation, though we thus speak." May the Lord sup- 
port and guide you through a transitory Hfe, and after this warfare is 
accompHshed, receive you and us to that blessed Church where our love 
shall be forever perfect and our joy forever full. Amen. 

With slight verbal changes and omissions this form was still in use in 
1869. 



APPENDIX U 

ORDER OF BAPTISM OF CHILDREN, 1866 

In presenting this child to God in baptism, you avouch the Lord 
Jehovah to be your God, the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Redeemer, 
and the Holy Ghost to be your Sanctifier. You do hereby personally 
covenant, if God spare the life of this child, to teach it to read his Holy 
Word, to pray with it, to pray for it, and to teach it to pray; to instruct 
it in the principles of our holy religion, an excellent summary of which 
you will find in the catechisms of the Westminster Assembly and the 
Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church; to walk before it in 
all the ordinances of the gospel; and by the strength of divine grace, to 
train it up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This you sev- 
erally covenant and promise. 

Then follows the prayer and the baptism. 



APPENDIX V 

ORDER OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE, 1875 

1. At the close of the sermon the collection for the poor of the church 
shall be taken up. 

2. After the collection shall have been received, the minister shall 
announce in substance that, "this church is now about to celebrate the 
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and that a cordial invitation is ex- 
tended to all persons in good standing in other evangelical churches to 
remain and take part in this service." And he shall also add that if any 
communicants are not now provided with seats on the floor of the 
church, they are requested to find places for themselves at the close of 
the singing of the following hymn. 

3. When the singing shall have commenced, the two elders who are 
to sit on either side of the minister during the service shall immediately 
remove the cloth from the table,* folding it carefully and placing it out 
of sight upon the bench in front of the pews. They shall then resume 
their former seats. f 

4. Before the close of the hymn, the minister shall descend from the 
pulpit and take his seat at the table: at the same time the two elders 
who are to sit beside him shall also take their seats. 

5. The minister shall make an address, if he shall think proper, and 
then commence the service by quoting the words of institution: "Our 
Lord, on that same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and 
when he had given thanks he brake it and gave it to his disciples": and 
he shall add, "Let us, in imitation of his example, give thanks." He 
shall then offer prayer. 

6. Immediately after the close of the prayer those elders and dea- 
cons who are to oflBciate at the table shall take their places, standing in 
front of it while the minister breaks the bread. | 

7. When the bread is broken, the minister shall say: "When our 
Lord had broken the bread, he gave it to his disciples, as I, ministering 

* Until the service a large table-cloth entirely covered the table with all 
that stood upon it. This custom continued till 1895. 

t It was customary on Communion Sunday for all the elders and dea- 
cons to sit together in the "amen" pews. 

t The bread was in large loaves, so cut that they could be readily broken 
and placed in the plates. 

543 



544 APPENDIX V 

in his name, give this bread to you, a professed disciple of Jesus Christ: 
'Take, eat: this is my body which is broken for you; this do in remem- 
brance of me. ' " While repeating this passage, he shall first present the 
bread to the two elders sitting beside him, and shall then distribute the 
plates among the officiating elders and deacons, who shall forthwith 
pass the bread to the congregation — the elder or deacon standing at 
the extreme right of the minister first offering it to him. 

8. After the distribution of the bread the minister shall say: "If any 
communicants have been omitted in the distribution of the bread, they 
will please signify it by rising." If any shall rise on either side, the 
bread shall be served to them by the elder sitting on that side of the 
minister. If none shall rise, the two elders who sit beside the minister 
shall distribute the bread to the other elders and deacons, and shall 
then immediately remove the bread from the table * and resume their 
places. 

9. The minister shall then offer a prayer before dispensing the cup, 
and immediately upon the close of the prayer the officiating elders and 
deacons shall resume their places before the table, standing while the 
minister pours out the wine. 

10. The minister shall then dispense the cup to the two elders who 
sit beside him, and then pass the same to the officiating elders and dea- 
cons, saying, "After the same manner, also, he took the cup, when he 
had supped, saying, 'This cup is the New Testament in my blood: this 
do as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat 
this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.'" 
Upon receiving the cup, the officiating elders and deacons shall pass it 
to the congregation, the elder or deacon standing on the extreme left 
of the minister first offering it to him. 

11. After the dispensation of the cup, the same forms shall be ob- 
served which followed the distribution of the bread. 

12. The minister shall then, if he think fit, make another address, and 
give out the concluding hymn. After the hymn, he shall pronounce the 
following benediction (Hebrews 13 : 20, 21): "Now the God of peace 
that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd 
of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you 
perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is 
well pleasing in his sight, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." 

* Both the large platters and the plates were placed on the bench in 
front of the pews. This custom was discontinued in 1895. 



APPENDIX W 

CONSTITUTION OF THE BRICK CHURCH SUNDAY- 
SCHOOL, 1833 

Preamble 

The Teachers and Conductors of Sunday-school No. 3, in New 
York, would feel that everything in the revealed purposes of God, every- 
thing in his promises, all indications of his providence, invite and urge 
us on in the work in which we are engaged. The millions that are fam- 
ishing for want of the Bread of Life in heathen lands, and the urgent de- 
mand for intelligent and efficient services in the cause of Christ in our 
own country, admonish us that there is pressing need of unremitting 
labor in training the young for the work of the Lord. Be this, then, 
the teachers' aim: "To win souls to Jesus Christ; and to prepare them 
for usefulness in his kingdom." 

May the Great Head of the Church fit us for the responsible duties 
we have assumed, and keep us in the observance of the following 

CONSTITUTION 



This school shall consist of 

1st. A Superintendent, whose duty it shall be to arrange the classes, 
preserve order, and to determine all questions that may occur between 
different teachers, and between teachers and their classes. 

2d. An Assistant Superintendent, who shall ordinarily teach a Bible 
Class, and take the place of the Superintendent when he is absent. 

3d. A Female Superintendent, who shall aid in the government of 
the School. 

4th. A Librarian, who shall supply the School from time to time with 
catalogues of the books in the Library, deliver books to the teachers 
according to the rules of the school, keep an accurate account of the vol- 
umes received and issued from the Library, and hold himself responsible 
for books not accounted for. 

5th. A Secretary, who shall keep full and accurate records of the pro- 
ceedings of the School, aggregate quarterly returns of which shall be 
approved in teachers' meeting and read to the School. 

545 



546 APPENDIX W 

6th. Teachers, who shall be punctual in attendance, faithful in the 
study of the lessons, prompt in visiting absentees, and laborious in en- 
deavors to enlighten the minds and improve the hearts of the youth 
committed to their care. 

7th. Scholars, who shall be punctual, obedient, and studious during 
school hours, and silent and respectful in the house of God. 

n 

The officers of this School shall be chosen by ballot once in each year 
at a teachers' meeting in the month of April, and oftener if need be; and 
the teachers shall be appointed by the Superintendent upon every elec- 
tion of that officer. 

m 

Books shall be furnished upon one Sabbath to the male department, 
and upon the succeeding Sabbath to the female department, alternately; 
deliverable in the afternoon, upon condition of punctuality and the safe 
return of the previous volume in the morning. Teachers shall make a 
list of the books desired for their scholars, and be responsible for them 
to the School. 

IV 

This Constitution may be amended by a vote of two-thirds of the 
members present in teachers' meeting. 

The SuPERiNTENDKNT expccts of the Teachers, 

1st. That they wall be in their seats five minutes before the hour of 
opening, ready to greet their scholars as they appear, approbating 
punctuahty and reproving delinquency, and that they will not unnec- 
essarily leave their seats during school hours. 

2d. That they will always accompany their classes to the door of the 
church, maintaining order among the scholars, and in cases of necessary 
absence from the school, a teacher will feel it to be his [or her] duty to 
provide a substitute. 

.'Jd. He still further expects that at the ringing of the bell there will 
always be perfect silence throughout the School, and that this silence 
will prevail during the opening and closing exercises of the School. 

■4th. In conclusion, he expects no idleness in any class for a moment, 
but, on the contrary, that teachers will be prompt, faithful, and punctual 
in everything relating to their classes, and that they will insist upon the 
same in every one of their scholars. 



FEB .. 19UJ 



APPENDIX X 

SUPREME COURT ORDER 

At a special term of the Supreme Court, held at the City Hall, of the 
City of New York, on the fifteenth day of February, one thousand eight 
hundred and fifty-three. 

Present, Henry P. Edwards, Justice. 

In the matter of the Petition of the Corporation of the Brick Presby- 
terian Church, in the City of New York, to sell their church property in 
the Second Ward. 

On reading and filing the petition of the Corporation of the Brick 
Presbyterian Church, in the City of New York, under the corporate 
seal, and duly verified by the oath of William Couch, President of the 
Board of Trustees of said Corporation, and on motion of Mr. Horace 
Holden, of counsel for said petitioners, 

It is ordered, that the said petitioners be, and they are hereby author- 
ized to sell and convey all their church property, lands, and tenements, 
situate in the Second Ward of the City of New York, bounded by Park 
Row, Beekman Street, Nassau Street, and Spruce Street, and either at 
public or private sale, subject to the conditions and restrictions con- 
tained in the grant, under which they hold the same, and to execute, to 
the purchaser or purchasers thereof, good and sufficient conveyances 
therefor; and to apply the proceeds of such sale to the purchase of other 
lands in said city, and to the erection of a new church edifice thereon, 
agreeably to the prayer of the said petition; but the purchaser or pur- 
chasers thereof shall not be required, or bound to see to the application 
of the purchase moneys, to any of the purposes specified in said petition. 

Richard B. Connolly, Clerk. 



APPENDIX Y 

RULES FOR THE CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE 
CHRIST CHURCH MEMORIAL BUILDINGS AND THE 
WORK CARRIED ON IN CONNECTION THEREWITH 

It is expressly understood that the following plan shall not apply to 
such of the internal affairs of Christ Church as are legally under the 
control of its session or trustees nor to the internal affairs of the Sick 
Children's Aid Society, including its finances, constitution and election 
of officers. 

1. — The Committee 

its purpose and name 

The general control and management of Christ Church Memorial 
Buildings and of all activities carried on in the Church House, shall be 
in the hands of a Committee to be known as the Christ Church Memo- 
rial Buildings Committee, but the session of the Brick Church in respect 
to spiritual matters and the board of trustees in respect to other mat- 
ters may modify, change or annul the action of the Committee. 

2. — Constitution of the Committee 

(a) Membership. The Committee shall consist of the following per- 
sons: The pastors of the Brick Church and of Christ Church; an elder 
from the Brick Church and one from Christ Church appointed by their 
respective sessions; the superintendent of the Christ Church Sunday- 
school, who shall be appointed by the session of the Brick Church; the 
presidents of the Christ Church Mens' Club, the Boys' Club, the Bab- 
cock Club, the Van Dyke Club, the Junior Department and the Sick 
Children's Aid Society; the general treasurer (hereinafter provided 
for) and the treasurer of the Brick Church, and the secretary of the 
Committee. 

(6) Advisory Members: The pastor of the Church of the Covenant 
and the assistant ministers of the Brick Church and of Christ Church 
shall be entitled to attend the meetings and take part in the discussions 
of the Committee but without a vote. (This, however, does not exclude 

548 



APPENDIX Y 549 

them from being members in fuU of the Committee by virtue of some 
other office.) 

(c) Occasional Representation: Representatives of organizations or 
departments of work in Christ Church House, not directly represented 
on the Committee, may be present by invitation while busuiess of special 
concern to them is under discussion. Such delegates shall not, however, 
have voting power. 

(d) Enlargement of the Committee: The Committee shall have power 
from time to time to add to its membership representatives of such or- 
ganizations or departments of the work in Christ Church House as shall 
have gained sufficient importance to warrant representation, and to drop 
from its membership officers of any society which has ceased to be active 
in the work under the supervision of this Committee. 

3.— Organization of the Committee 

(a) The officers of the Committee shall be a Chairman, the General 
Treasurer, and a Secretary. 

The Chairman shall be elected by the Committee. He shall preside 
at Committee meetings, and shall have general supervision over the 
whole work of the Church House, acting as the executive officer for the 
Committee. The first Chairman shall be the pastor of Christ Church. 

The General Treasurer shall be appointed by the session of the Brick 
Church He shall receive all funds contributed by the Brick Church or 
coming from other sources for the general wbrk. Appropriations made 
bv the Committee to the several organizations and departments shall be 
pkid by him to the respective treasurers, whose accounts he shall annu- 
ally audit. He shall, under the direction of the Committee, make the 
general payments connected with the work, and shall have charge of the 
internal maintenance of the buildings. No appropriation or expendi- 
ture of money shall be made, however, without the approval of the 
General Treasurer. He shall submit his accounts annually to the ses- 
sion and trustees of the Brick Church. 

The Secretaru shall be elected by the Committee either from among 
or from outside of its members. It shall be his duty to preside at meet- 
ings in the absence of the chairman, to keep the minutes of all meetings, 
to send notices of meetings and to perform the duties usual to the office. 

(b) Meetings: The Committee shall meet regularly once a month 
from October to May, and at other times upon call of the chairman or 
of any three members. 

(c) Quorum: Five regular members shall constitute a quorum. 



550 APPENDIX Y 

4. — Duties and Powers 

(a) Management and use oj Buildings: The Committee shall manage 
the Memorial Buildings and shall determine and prescribe the use of the 
various parts thereof. The treasurer of the Brick Church and the 
general treasurer, together with the pastor of Christ Church and the 
superintendent of Christ Church Sunday-school shall be a Special Sub- 
Committee on maintenance of the buildings and the employment of 
house servants, and shall report to the general Committee. 

(6) Control of Activities: The Committee shall exercise general con- 
trol over the various activities carried on in the Memorial Buildings. It 
shall receive reports from the different organizations and departments, 
shall receive and act upon suggestions regarding the work and shall make 
such recommendations of regulations as may be necessary. The Com- 
mittee shall in every way seek to promote the harmony and efficiency of 
the work as a whole. The Committee shall appoint or approve the ap- 
pointment of the presidents of the various departments of the work, and 
shall engage all paid workers connected therewith, except as otherwise 
provided for herein or by the Committee. All Constitutions or rules of 
management of the different departments and organizations shall be 
subject to the approval of the Committee. Details of management shall 
be left to the proper officers of the different departments and organiza- 
tions, but the Committee shall have power to veto any forms of activity 
and to prescribe such activities as in its judgment are necessary, or 
advisable. 

(c) Estimates: Prior to the December meeting in each year there 
shall be presented to the Committee by the heads of departments and 
organizations and by the general treasurer estimates of the sums of 
money needed for the ensuing year. The Committee shall examine 
these estimates together with such estimate as shall be presented on the 
part of Christ Church, and on the basis of them prepare a general bud- 
get which shall be submitted to the session of the Brick Church. 

(d) Expenditures: The Committee, from the money received by the 
general treasurer shall make appropriations to the various depart- 
ments and organizations, and shall authorize expenditures for the in- 
ternal maintenance and repair of the buildings and for the salaries of 
officials and employees except the pastor of Christ Church. 

(e) Reports: The Committee shall at any time make reports to the 
session and board of trustees of the Brick Church at their requests 
respectively. 



INDEX 



INDEX 



Abbott, Rev. Lyman, D.D., 388, 

note 
Abbott, Rebecca S., 533 
Adams, Charles D., 417, 532 
Adams, John, 112, 197, 252, 517, 

522, 526; also opposite 122 
Adams, John G., 375, note 
Adams, Robert, 537 
Adams, Dr. William, 291, note, 316 
Addams, Jonas, 538 
Adee, William, 537 
Admission to church membership, 

174 /., 539-541 
Affiliated churches, 31, note, 401, 

444. See also Christ Church and 

Covenant, Church of the 
Agnew, A. Gifford, 341 
Al-Burtis, William, 520 
Alden, Marcus, 17S 
Allen, Charlotte, 199 
Allen, Moses, 198, 252, 271, 302, 

499, 517, 522, 526, 527, 537 
Allen, Priscilla, 199 
Allen, Hon. Stephen, 241 
Allison, M., 538 
American Board of Commissioners 

for Foreign Missions, 124, 237, 

245-247, 249 /. 
American Home Missionary Society, 

244 /., 248 /. 
Anderson, Alexander, 69, note 
.\nderson. Rev. James, 7-9 
"Announcements," The, 398 
Appleton, D. S., 532 
Appleton, Malvina W., 533 
Archer, Mrs. Eliza, 538 
Arden, Thomas, opposite 262 
Ash, Thomas, opposite 262 
Ash, William, opposite 262 
Aspinwall, Louisa E., 533 
Atterbury, Rev. Wallace, D.D., 417 



B 



Babcock, Rev. Maltbie D., D.D., ac- 
cepts call, 454-456; early life of, 
456 /.; first pastorate of, 457 /.; 
begins work in New York, 458- 



462; his preaching, 459 /., 462; 
his personality, 462 /. ; pastoral 
work, 463, 466; his industry, 
464/.; his interest in the affihated 
churches, 465-467; in the Men's 
Association, 467; his first year 
completed, 468 /.; his pilgrimage 
to Palestine, 469 /.; his sickness 
and death, 470; results of his 
work, 471-473; present music of 
the church his legacy, 482; the 
new Christ Church a memorial to, 
487; pubhshed works of, 499, 502; 
see also 516 

Backus, Henry A., 411, note 

Backus, Mancer M., 418, 530, 532 

Baker and Scribner, 140 

Baldwin, Jacob L., 520 

Ball, Dr. Brayton, 417 

Baptism, 81, 176, note, 327, note, 
542 

Barber, William, 69, note 

Barbour, Norman, 485, note 

Barbour, William D., 342, 346. 375, 
note, 485, note, 518, 521, 523, 525 

Barbour, Mrs. William D., 330, note 
395, note 

Bartlett, Joseph, 538 

Bayard, Samuel, 66, note 

Beebe, Mrs., 330, note 

Beecher, Rev. Lyman, 118 /. 

Beekman Street site, 17-23, 80, 251 - 
269, 272, 547 

Beers, Lucius, 531 

Bell, Rev. Govcllo B., 345 /, 535 

Benevolences of Brick Church, 40 /., 
85-87, 231-239, 299, 334-3: J7, 
392 /., 452, 491. See also Collec- 
tions 

Benevolent societies, relation of 
Brick Church to, 87, 233-230 

Benevolent work of Brick Church, 
36, 203-211, 328-334, 364, 367, 
370, 384, 392-398. See also 
Brick Church Mission, etc. 

Bennett, George A., 300, note, 351, 
note, 518 

Bergstresser, Charles M., 398, note 

Berian, Nicholas, 69 

Bethune, Mrs., 212 



553 



554 



INDEX 



Betts, Ellen P., 533 

Betts, George F., 533 

Bevan, Rev. Llewelyn D., D.D., call 
of, 357; London ministry of, 357- 
359, 362; personality of, 359; ex- 
pectations of, 359-362; pastoral 
letters of, 363-372; resignation 
of, 373 /.; see also 499, 502, 516 

Bevan, Mrs. Llewelyn D., 369 

Bible classes, 173, 227, 453. See 
also Sunday-schools 

Bible Society, The American, 240 

Bible Society, The New York, 240 

Bibliography, 497-510 

Billings, Frederick, 375, note, 378, 
note, 523(2) 

Bills, Mrs. James F., 395, note 

Bingham, John, 111 /., 197, 617, 
522, also opposite 122 

Black, William, 201, 351, note, 523 

Black, William D., 300, note 

Blake, Marshall, 418 

Blakeman, Caldwell R., 375, note, 
521 

Blakeman, Mrs. Caldwell R., 330, 
note, 395, note 

Blakeman, William N., 518, 521 

Bleecker, F. Matilda, 533 

Bliss, Ira, 271, 518, 520, 523, 526 

Bohemian Church, 425, note 

Bokee, Abraham, 197, 520 

Bonnett, Miss, 330, note 

Bonnett, Mrs., 330, note 

Bonnett, Daniel, 538 

Bonnett, Mrs. P., 537 

Bonnett, Peter, 112, 522(2), 624 

Bonnett, William H., 537 

Bonney, George B., 531 

Booth, Dr., 71 

Booth, Rev. Henry M., D.D., 387, 
note 

Bostwick, Rev. David, 10 

Bowen, Prentice, 69 

Branch Sunday-school, see Christ 
Church Sunday-school 

Brewster, Henry, 223, note 

Brick Church, cause of its founda- 
tion, 16; site for first building, 17 
-23; money for building, 23-25; 
building erected, 25-27, 54; ori- 
gin of present name, 26 /. ; rela- 
tion of, to Wall Street Church, 
30 /.; character of the congrega- 
tion of, 31 /.; its building dedica- 
ted, 33 /. 55; forms of activity of, 
before 1774, 33-42; relation to 
Revolutionary War, 42-76; its 
building restored, 73, 76; the re- 



stored interior, 76-78; activities 
of, 1783-1808, 81-94; separated 
from Wall Street Church, 103- 
111; its first officers, 111-113; 
difficulties in securing a pastor, 
117-120; builds lecture-room and 
chapel, 137-140; its use of 
churchyard and cemetery, 141- 
143; attitude of, toward New 
School schism, 168 /. ; services and 
meetings of, 171-183; music of, 
177-183; schools of, 1810-1850, 
203-230; missionary and benev- 
olent work of, 231-250; north- 
ward drift of members of, 251- 
255; negotiations of, for sale of 
Beekman Street property, 254- 
269; critical condition of, 257- 
259; strength of, nevertheless, 
269 /.; looks for uptown site, 279- 
281; acquires present site, 281; 
erects present edifice, 284-289; 
adjusts rights of pewholders, 290; 
dedicates its new edifice, 291/.; 
calls Dr. Hoge, 296; prosperous 
condition of, 99 /.; attitude of, 
during Civil War, 301-309; calls 
Dr. Shedd, 309; calls Dr. Mur- 
ray, 315; improvement in music 
of, 320-323; publishes a hymn- 
book, 323-326; changes in ser- 
vices of, 326-328; organization 
of women's work of, 328-333; 
enlarged benevolences of, 334- 
337; members of, start a mission 
Sunday-school, 339-343; adopts 
this school, 344-346; builds mis- 
sion chapel, 346-348; buys a par- 
sonage, 356; calls Mr. Bevan; 
conditions of, in 1878, 363-368; 
in 1879, 369-372; calls Mr. van 
Dyke, 376; condition of, in 1883, 

377 /., 384; revision of roll of, 

378 /.; increased attractiveness 
of, 379 /. ; interior of building of, 
redecorated, 380-383; rejuvena- 
tion of, 384; devotion of, to Dr. 
van Dyke, 385-388; evangelistic 
campaign of, 388; debt of, 
raised, 388 /.; interest in services 
of, 389-392; organized work of, 
392-398; mission of, organized as 
a church, 398-402; need of endow- 
ment for, 402-404, 430; union of 
Church of Covenant with, pro- 
posed, 404, 429 /., 432-434; agree- 
ment of, with Church of the Cove- 
nant, 434-437; completes the 



INDEX 



555 



union, 437-439; endowment of, 
secured, 438; dual pastorate of, 
439; accepts Dr. Mcllvaine's res- 
ignation, 440-444; relation of, to 
new Church of the Covenant, 444 
/.; anxieties of, regarding Christ 
Church, 448; solves that prob- 
lem, 449; prosperity of, 452 /.; 
debt of, to Dr. van Dyke, 453 /. ; 
calls Dr. Babcock, 455; its prog- 
ress under his leadership, 460, 463, 
465, 467; accepts the help of Dr. 
van Dyke, 473; calls Dr. Richards, 
475-477; prospers and enlarges 
its work, 479-483; erects Christ 
Church Memorial Buildings, 485- 
488; further endowment of, by 
Mr. Jesup's legacy, 488 /.; sum- 
mary of entire history of, 489-493 

Brick Church (Beekman Street edi- 
fice), erected, 25-27, 54; comer- 
stone of, 25; dedication of, 33 /., 
55; use of, during Revolution, 
69-72; restoration of, 73, 76; re- 
stored interior of, 76-78; fence 
of, 112; interior of, 1810-1850, 
132-134; neighborhood of, 135; 
exterior of, 135-137; addition to, 
of lecture-room and chapel, 137- 
140; rumors of removal of, 254; 
negotiations for sale of, 254-268; 
sale of, 268 /.; last service in, 271 
-276 

Brick Church (Murray Hill edifice), 
neighborhood of, 279, 283 /. ; plans 
for, 284 /.; exterior of, 285 /.; in- 
terior of, 286-289; dedication of, 
291 /., 294; last Old School As- 
sembly held in, 317; organ gal- 
lery of, enlarged, 322 /.; interior 
of, redecorated, 380-383; subse- 
quent changes in, 383 /., note; 
lecture-room of, remodelled, 391 
/.; entire chapel remodelled, 487, 
note 

Brick Church Mission, 336, note, 
338-351, 363, note, 364, 370, 372 
/., 378, 392, 393-396, 397, 398- 
401, 535. See also Christ Church, 
Christ Church Sunday-school, 
Christ Church House, and Mis- 
sion Sunday-schools. 

Brick Church Mission Chapel, 346- 
348 

Briggs, Rev. Charles A., D.D., 417 

Bristow, Benjamin H., 523 

Bronson, Judge, 265 

Bronson, Anna E., 533 



Broome, John, 57, note, 59, note 68 

Broome, Samuel, 59, note, 69, note 

Brown, Mrs., 330, note 

Brown, Rev. Francis, D.D., 417 

Brown, John, opposite 262 

Brown, Rev. John, 117 

Brown, Samuel, 197, 620 

Buchan, Mrs., 330, note 

Buchanan, Mrs., 330, note 

Buchanan, Ronald M., 375, note 

Buck, Dr. Albert, 417 

Buck, Amelia H., 533 

Buck, Dr. Gurdon, 417, 630, 633 

Buck, Henrietta E., 533 

Buck, Susan M., 533 

Bulkley, Horace W., 197, 517, 619 

Bulkley, Rev. J. M., D.D., 388, note 

Bulkley, Dr. Lucius Duncan, 621, 

527 
Bulkley, Mrs. Lucius Duncan, 396, 

note 
Bull, Henry K., 223, note 
Burger, Mary, 533 
Burger, Sarah Augusta, 633 
Burger, Sophia, 533 
Burnham, Frederick G., 630, 532, 

533 
Burr, Mrs., 330, note 
Bushnell, R. G., 531 
Butler, Benjamin P., 407 /., 426, 

436, note, 630, 532, 633 
Butler, Charles, 417, 632 and note, 

533 
Butler, Eliza A., 633(2) 
Butler, Eliza Ogden, 533 
Butler, Ellen G., 533 
Butler, Emily Ogden, 633 
Butler, Lydia Allen, 633 
Butler, Mary R., 633 
Butler, Henry M., 618 
Butler, William Allen, 533 



Cady, J. Cleveland, 409, note, 410, 
411 and note, 412 and note, 414 
and note, 417, 435, 438, note, 499, 
518, 530, 531, 533 

Campbell, Adam, 518, 521 

Campbell, David, 69, note 

Campbell, John, 375, note 

Cannon, Mary B., 533 

Carrington, J. H., 532 

Casper, Sarah, 272, note 

Catechism, 38, 173, 221, 227, 642 

Cedar Street Church, 106 /. 

Cemeteries of Brick Church, 19, 22- 
24, 108, 113, 141-143, 262 



556 



INDEX 



Chamberlain, Rev. L. T., D.D., 388, 
note 

Chapel, The (Beekman Street), 138- 
140, 215 

Chapel, The (Murray Hill), 284, 290, 
note 

Charity School, 88-91, 108, 113, 
203-211 

Charity Sermon, 41 

Cheeseborough, R., 538 

Chidlar, Mr., 229 

Children of the Brick Church, 353 /., 
364 /., 366, 394, 395. See also 
Sunday-schools and Children's 
Society 

Children's Society, The, 333, 354, 
note, 364, 366 /., 394 

Choate, William G., 417 

Chorister, 77 /., 178 /., 321 

Christ Church (cf. 341, 345-349, 
373), 398-402, 448-452, 466, 485- 
488, 492, 535 

Christ Church House (cf. 345, 349 /., 
393, 396, 450 /.), 451 /., 465, 484, 
492. See also Christ Church Me- 
morial Buildings 

Christ Church Memorial Buildings 
(cf. 465), 471, 485-488, 548- 
550 

Christ Church Sunday-school, 399, 
400, note, 401, note, 403, note, 449 
/., 484, 487. See also Brick 
Church Mission 

Christmas service, 348, ^0, Tiote 

Chronology, 513-515 

Church, Mrs., 330, note 

Church, Samuel A., 518, 520 

Church of the Covenant. See Cove- 
nant, Church of 

Clark, Mrs., 330, note 

Clark, John Q., 375, note 

Cochran, Samuel, 341 /. 

Cochran, Thomas, 341 /. 

Coffin, William S., 484, note 

Cole, Mr., 183 

Collections, 78, 231-239. See also 
Benevolences, Finances 

Collegiate system. The, 30 /., 
103 ff. 

Comes, Mr., 178 /. 

Communion. See the Lord's Sup- 
per 

Comstock, George W., 351, note, 375, 
note, 521 

Comstock, Mrs., 330, note 

Concert of prayer for missions, 173 

Cornbury, Lord, Governor of New 
York, 3, 6-8 



Cornell, George J., 538 

Cornell, Robert C, 522(3) 

Corning, Mrs., 330, note, 395, note 

Corning, Hanson K., 523 

Corning, Jane B., 533 

Corning, Jasper, 200, 252, 517 

Corwith, Henry N., 436, 521, 
531 

Couch, William, 201, 252, 517, 520, 
522, 524, 525, 526, 537, 547 

Covenant, The (old) Church of the, 
317, 404; origin of, 405-407; or- 
ganization of, 407; name of, 
chosen, 407 /. ; building erected, 
408 /. ; character of, 409 /., 416 /. ; 
starts a mission Sunday-school, 
410-413; builds Memorial Chap- 
el, 414 /.; calls Dr. Vincent, 416; 
members of, 417 /.; encourages 
independence of the chapel, 418- 
420; calls Dr. Mcllvaine, 420; 
makes chapel pastor his associate, 
420-423; work and worship of, 
424-426; difficulties of, 426-429; 
union of, to Brick Church, pro- 
posed, 429 /., 432-437; generous 
spirit of, in adopting this plan, 
430 /.; union of, with Brick 
Church, accomplished, 437; prop- 
erty of, sold, 437; members of, 
happy and loyal as members of 
Brick Church, 438, 441-443. See 
also 529-534 

Covenant, The (present) Church of 
the (cf. 419 /., 423), 433 /., 436, 
notes, 437, 438, note, 444-448, 
466, 483 /., 492, 536. See also 
Covenant Chapel 

Covenant Chapel, 410-415 416, 
418-424, 433 /., 536 

Cowdrey, Miss, 229 

Cox, Mr., 243 

Crosby, Henry A., 411, note, 531 

Crosby, Rev. Howard, D.D., 377, 
7iote 

Crosby, John P., 417, 530 

Culyer, Charles R., 528 

Cummings, A. P., 538 

Cummings, Rev. Alexander, 9 

Cunningham, Richard, 112(2), 197, 
517, 520, 522, also opposite 122 

Curtis, Edwin, 533 

Curtis, Mary, 533 

Curtis, Phebe Eliza, 533 

Curtis, Rebecca, 533 

Curtis, William O., 411, 7Wte, 436, 
521, 531, 533 

Cutler, Manasseh, 76-80, 96 



INDEX 



557 



D 



Dale, Thomas N., 532 
Darrach, James, 302, 518 
Dart, Russell, 537 
Dartmouth, Lord, 29 
Davenport, J. S., 537 
Davenport, Thomas, 527, 537 
Davis, Edward W., 375, note, 

521 
Davis, Edward W., 521 
Davis, John G., 375, note 
Davison, John R., 520, 538 
de Forest, Alfred, 197, 252, 517 
de Forest, Benjamin, 522, 525 
de Forest, George B., 40S 
de Forest, Lockwood, 522, 526 
de Forest, Margaret, 533 
de Forest, William H., 537 
de Gourley, Madame, 200 
Deacons of the Brick Church, 112, 

331, note, 392 /., 520 /. 
Debt-raising, 146, 369, 388 /. 
Delevan, E. C, 538 
Denny, Thomas, 418, 530 
Dering, Nichol H., 252, note, 520 
Dey, Anthony, 199 
Discipline, 39 /., 190-196 
Dodge, Arthur M., 436, 523, 532 
Dodge, Norman N!, 532 
Dodge, Stephen, 171 /. 
Dodge, William E., 408, 418, 

530 
Dodworth's studio building, 407 
Domestic Missions, Presbyterian 

Board of, 237, 248 /. 
Donaghe, Antoinette, 533 
Donaghe, James, 533 
Donaghe, W. R., 533 
Donaldson, Miss, 330, note 
Donnell, J. F., 223, note 
Dorcas Society, The, 329 /., 332 
Douglass, George, 200, 517, 522 
Downer, Mrs., 330, note 
Downer, Eliza, 538 
Downer, Frederick W., 351, Tiote, 

375, note, 523, 525, 526(2) 
Downing, G. R., 538 
Drake, Jacob, 522 
Dunlap, John, 20, note 
Dunmore, Lord, Governor of New 

York, 44 
Dunning, Mrs., 330, note 
Dunning, Benjamin F., 351, note, 

375, note, 518 
Dunning, Wilham F., 521 
Dutch Church, Reformed Protest- 
ant, of New York, 18 



E 



Easter service, 390, note 
Eastman, John C, 411, note 
Eastman, Rev. O., D.D., 417 
Education, Presbyterian Board of, 

237 
Egbert, Benjamin, 111 /., 517, 522, 

524, also opposite 122 
Egleston, Thomas, x., 200, 302, 517, 

523, 526, 537 
Eidlitz, Leopold, 285 
Elders of Brick Church. See Session 
Eldridge, Thomas P., 523 
Elliot, Andrew, 66, note, 71 
Ellsworth, Erastus, 517, 520, 527 
Ely, Abner L., 200, 223, 7iote, 252, 

302, 351, note, 499, 517, 519, 523, 

525, 527(2), 537 

Ely, Rev. Ezra Stiles, 156 
Ely, Nathan C, 375, note 
Ely, Seabury, 203, 206 
Emerson, Mr., 323, note 
Employment Society, The, 329- 

332, 364, 393, 510 
Endowment, 273, 402-404, 437 /., 

489 
Eno, Amos R., 280 /. 
Epidemics, 91-94, 164 /. 
Ewing, Rev. John, D.D.. 77, 79 



F 



Fairchild, J. M., 530 

Farr, Rev. James M., becomes Dr. 
van Dyke's assistant, 451 ; organ- 
izes Boys' Club at Christ Church, 
451; becomes pastor of Christ 
Church, 466; pamphlets by, 503; 
see also 516, 535 

Faxon, William, 351, note, 518 

Ferris, Richard Montgomery, 288, 
note 

Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, 
339, note 

Fillmore, President Millard, 292, 
note 

Finances of the church, 87 /. 143- 
147, 257 /. 

Fisher, Abijah, 199, 517, 522 

Fisk, Harvey, 418, 532 

Fleet, Oliver S., 532 

Florio, Carl, 389, note 

Foreign Missions, Presbyterian 
Board of, 249 /. 

Forrester, James, 113 

Franklin, Dr. Benjamin, 36 



55S 



INDEX 



Frazer, William, 111, 517, also op- 
posite 122 
Frazier, William, 69, note 
Fulton, S., 538 
Funeral customs, 78 /., 113 



G 



General Assembly, pastoral letter 

of, 1775, 61-64 
George III, 29 
Gibson, Arc.her, 482 /. 
Gilbert, John A., 375, note 
Gilman, Mrs., 330, note 
Gilman, Arthur, 300, note 
Gilman, J'heodore, 521 
Gilman, William S., 323 
Gilman, Winthrop S., 351, note, 397, 

note, 518, 523 
Girard, A., 538 
Glover, John G., opposite 262 
Goddard, Calvin, 418 
Gold, Cornelius B., 523 
Goodwin, Caroline, 199 
Goodwin, Eli, 199, 522, 538 
Gordon, Miss, 323, note 
Gordon, Robert, 418, 436, note, 532 
Gordon, William, 69, note 
Gould, Miss, 183 
Graham, Mrs., 212 
Graham, Thomas, 69, note 
Grant, Thomas, opposite 262 
Greacen, Thomas E., 518 
Greenleaf, Thomas, 530 
Griff en, Edward Payson, 426, 531, 

532 533 
Griffen, Hermon, 530, 533 
Griff en, Louisa G., 533 
Griffiths, Margaret, 333, 395 
Griswold, Mr., 351, note 



H 



Hall, Rev. Charles Cuthbert, D.D., 

455, note 
Hall, Rev. John, D.D., 357, 377, note 
Hall, W. A., 532 
Hallett, Joseph, 20, note, 57, 7iote, 

69, note 
Halsey, Catherine, 227 
Halsey, John C, 197, 252, 517, 520, 

522, 525, 526, 537 
Hanford, Levi, 70 
Harding, Richard, 197, 520 
Harmer, The Misses, 395, note 
Harmer, Charles G., 375, note, 378, 

note, 518 
Harpur, Robert, 69, note 



Hart, Eli, 538 

Hatfield, Eliza W., 342, 451 

Hatfield, Jacob B. T., 521 

Hatfield, Susan M., 342 

Havens, Gabriel, 522 

Havens, Rensselaer, 197, 252, 517, 

522(2), 524, 525 
Hawes, Peter, 197, 517, 538 
Hawkins, Joseph, 69, note 
Hayes, Dr. William V. V., 483, 518. 

527 
Hazard, Mr., 80 
Hazard, Ebenezer, 68 /. 
Henry, Mrs. Douglas, 411, note 
Hidden, T. B., 531 
Hitchings, Hector M., 518 
Hobart, B. K., 538 
Hodgson, Nathaniel H., 528 
Hoe, Robert, Jr., 532 
Hoge, Rev. William J., D.D., 296- 

306, 308, note, 329, 499, 503, 516 
Holbrook, Mr., 179 
Holbrook, Mrs., 330, note 
Holden, Daniel J., x, 372, 375, note, 

449 /., 518, 519, 521,523, 526 
Holden, Mrs. Daniel J., 330, note, 

395, note 
Holden, Horace, x, 171 /., 185, 196, 

200, 252, 271, 284, 499, 517, 519, 

523, 527(2), 537, 547 
Holland, Josiah G., 523 
Holmes, Silas, 252, 517 
Home of the Friendless, 406, 426 
Hope Chapel, 258 /., 291, 293 
Hopkinsianism. See New England 

Theology 
Hoppin, Gerard Beekman, 436, 521, 

531 
Hoppin, William Warner, 417, 435, 

518, 530, 531 
Hoppock, Moses A., 537 
Hosack, Alexander, opposite 262 
Houghton, Miss, 330, note, 333, note 
How, Fisher, 517 
Hull, James S.,'351, note, 528 
Hunter, Brigadier, Governor of 

New York, 8 
Hutchins, Mr., 112, 520 
Hutchinson, Richard J., 523, 538 
Hymn books, 180 /., 323-326 

I 

Inglis, William, 69, note 
Inquiry meeting. The, 173 /. 
Irving, Washington, 98, 403, note 
Irving, William, 98, note, 403, note, 
opposite 262 



INDEX 



559 



Isham, William B., 375, note, 523, 

524 
Isham, William B., Jr., 449, 521 



Jackson, Thomas, 20, note, 69, note 

Jackson, William, 6 

Jauncey, James, 66, note 

Jennings, Ohver B., 532 

Jesup, Morris K., 489 

Jewett, Hugh J., 417 

Johnson, Samuel, 183 

Jones, Mrs. Samuel B., ix 

Joscelyn, Mr., 351, note 

Judd, David W., 533 

Judson, P., 538 

Juppe, Anna M., 448, note 



K 



Keeler, John, 531 

Kellogg, Miss, 323, note 

Kernochan, Joseph, 538 

Ketcham, E. R. van A., 533 

Ketcham, Enoch, 408, 418, 532, 533 

Kimball, Alfred R., 532 

Kimball, Dr. Charles Otis, 411, note, 
412, note, 436, 518, 521, 530, 531 

Kimball, Horace, 533 

Kimball, Horace E., 533 

Kimball, Rev. John, 341, 345, 535 

Kimball, Mary D., 533 

Kindergarten. See Murray Kinder- 
garten 

King, John, 69, note 

Kingsley, Ezra M., 375, note, 518, 527, 

Kinnie, Margaret E., 450 

Kip, Isaac, 201 

Knapp, Gideon Lee, 538 

Knapp, Shepherd, 201, 252, 280, 
284, 351, note, 517, 519, 522, 523, 
524, 526, 538 

Knapp, Shepherd, 375, note, 523, 
525 

Knapp, Mrs. Shepherd, 277, note 

Knapp, Rev. Shepherd, 474, note, 
516 

Knox, Louise, 395, note 



La Farge, John, 381-383 

Laight, Maria, 200 

Lamb, James, 69, note 

Lampe, Rev. Joseph J., D.D., 349, 

373, 398-401, 448, 503, 535 
Lasher, John, 59, note, 60, 64 /., 68 



Lashor, John, Jr., 20, note 
Lathrop, Mrs. Thomas P., 199, note 

330 
Lay, Oliver, 417 
Laymen of Brick Church, 36 /., 46- 

69, 190-202, 215-217, 243 /., 

300 /., 351, note, 367, 375, note, 

378, note, 393, 397 /., 467 
Lecture, The Weekly, 38, 85, 172, 

258 /., 327 
Lecture Room, The Old White, 137 

/., 171 /. 
Ledoux, Dr. Albert R., 388, 392, 

note. 397, note, 443, note, 518, 527 
Ledoux, Mrs. Albert R., 395, note 
Leeds, Catharine G., 533 
Leeds, Mary Eliza, 533 
Leonard, Charles H., 408, 532, 533 
Leonard, Elizabeth, 533 
Leslie, James, 90 
Lewis, Charlton T., 417 
Litclafield, Mr., 49, note 
Livingston, Peter R., 20, note, 58, 68 
Livingston, Peter van Brugh, 20, 

note, 57, note, 59, note, 68 /. 
Livingston, William, 48-51 
Lockwood, Elizabeth R., 533 
Lockwood, Julia G., 533 
Lockwood, Louisa M., 533 
Lockwood, Roe, 533 
Lockwood, Stephen, 197, 617, 

522(2), 526 
Lord, Miss, 330, note 
Lord, Daniel, 47, note, 197, 201, 

302, 323, 344, 499, 517, 527, 537 
Lord, Daniel, 417 
Lord, Daniel D., 533 
Lord, George de Forest, 300, note, 

338, note, 351, note, 375, note, 

378, note, 518, 520, 523 
Lord, Mary H., 533 
Lord's Supper, The, 37 /., 109, note, 

176, 192, 291, Tiote, 327, 345 /., 

419, 543 /. 
Lovell, L. N., 426, 530, 531 
Lovett, James, 522 
Ludlam, John L., 523, 525 
Ludlow, Gabriel, 89 
Luyster, William, 197, 520 



M 



Magee, Daniel H., 538 
Makemie, Rev. Francis, 3, 6-8 
Marling, Alfred E., 426, 435, 483, 

518, 527, 530 
Marsh, Samuel, 201, 271, 538 
Martin, The Misses, 395, note 



160 



INDEX 



Mason, Rev. Dr. John M., 129, 156, 
177 

Matlock, Rev. John, D.D., opposite 
262 

McAlpin, Charles W., 436, 521, 531 

McAlpin, D. H., 451, 532 

McAlpin, D. H., Jr., 523, 532 

McAlpin, David, 418 

McAlpin, Joseph R., 532 

McAlpin, Randolph, 452, 487 

McCall, James, 201, 517, 522, 523 

McClellan, Mrs., 411, note 

McClelland, Hon. Robert, 266 

McCoUick, Catherine, 538 

McComb, John, 197, 252, 520, 522, 
538, also opposite 132, 262 

McCormick, Stephen, 137 

McCosh, Pres. James, D.D., 388, 
note 

McCulloh, Richard S., 518 

McCurdy, Gertrude M., 533 

McCurdy, Robert H., 418, 533 

McCurdy, Robert Wolcott, 533 

McCurdy, Sarah Lord, 533 

McDougal, Alexander, 52 /., 55-57, 
59, 64, 67 /. 

McDougal, John, 69, note 

McDowell, Rev. John, 118 

McElwain, Maria, 538 

McEwen, Rev. Henry T., 420, 536 

Mcllvaine, Rev. James Hall, D.D., 
called to Church of the Covenant, 
420; proposes that chapel pastor 
become his associate, 420 /. ; com- 
ments on the result, 422 /.; de- 
Bcribes activities of the church, 
424-426; indicates adverse con- 
ditions, 429 ; preaches last sermon 
in the church, 430 /. ; becomes co- 
pastor in Brick Church, 435, 439; 
pronounces union a success, 438; 
resignation of, 440-444; subse- 
quent letter from, 446 /. See also 
503, 516, 529 

Mcintosh, Rev. James S., D.D., 388, 
note 

McKay, C. S., 531 

McKinley, Nathaniel, 20, note 

McKnight, Rev. John, D.D., 82-85, 
88, 104, 107, 109-111, 503, 516 

McLane, Guy Richards, 521 

McLane, Dr. James W., 417 

McLean, Mrs. Alexander, 333, note, 
342, 395, note 

McLeland, Rev. Alexander, 242 

McMahon, Fulton, 449 /. 

McNeel, Mrs. Maria Brower, 384, 
note 



McNish, Rev. George, 8 

Mead, Edward S., 418 

Mead, Elijah, 197, 252, 520 

Memorial Chapel, 414 /. See also 
Covenant Mission 

Men of Brick Church. See Lay- 
men 

Men's Association, The, 467, 469 

Mercer Street Church, 405 /. 

Merrill, Charles E., 523, 532 

Merritt, Frances, 533 

Merry, Calvin H., 538 

Michael, John, 69, note 

Miles, Edward C, 411, note 

Miles, Isabel N., 411, note 

Millard, Mr., 323, note 

Milledoler, Dr. Philip, 85, 123 

Miller, Charles A., 523, 525 

Miller, Rev. Samuel, D.D., call of, 
83; personality of, 83; preaching 
of, 83 /.; salary of, 88; on public 
schools, 88, note; on the plague of 
1798, 91-94; favors discontinua- 
ance of collegiate system, 104 /., 
107; becomes pastor of Wall 
Street Church, 109 /.; describes 
effects of separation. 111, note; 
defends Gardiner Spring, 123; on 
the duties of elders, 189. See 
also 500, 504, 516 

Miller, William, 112, 520, also oppo- 
site 122 

Mills, Mrs., 538 

Mills, Charles, 537 

Mills, Drake, 199, 523(2), 537 

Mills, James W., 538 

Mills, John, 112(2), 121, 197, 517, 
522, also opposite 122 

Mills, Rev. Samuel J., 245-247 

Mills, Zophar, 532 

Ministers of the Brick Church, 37, 
516 

Mission Sunday-schools, 226, 291, 
299, note. See also Brick Church 
Mission, Covenant Chapel, and 
Christ Church 

Missionary Societies, Relation of 
Brick Church to, 235-250 

Missions, Brick Church and, 173, 
228-250, 334, 391, note, 393. See 
also Benevolences 

Moore, Sir Henry, Governor of New 
York, 28 /. 

Moore, W. D., 531 

Moore, William H. H., 418, 426, 
435, 518, 530 

Morgan, Gov. E. D., 351, note, 356, 
369, 375 and note, 376, 377, 378, 



INDEX 



561 



note, 380 /., 384, note, 500, 523, 

524 
Morgan, Mrs. E. D., 330, note 
Morgan, Dr. E. D., Jr., 350, 384, 

note 
Morrell, Lucretia, 537 
Morris, Gouverneur, 60 
Murphy, E. D., 521 
Murray, Rev. James O., D.D., called, 

315; early life of, 319 /. ; interest 

of, in music of the church, 321- 

323; aids in preparation of 

hymn-book, 323-326; relation of, 

to Brick Church Mission, 338; 

resignation of, 351-355. See also 

500, 505, 516 
Murray, Mrs. James O., 330, note, 

333, 7iote, 354, 7iote 
Murray, John R., 112, 522, 526, 

also opposite 122 
Murray, Mary. 537 
Murray Hill site, 280-284 
Murray Kindergarten, The, 354, 

note, 393, 396 
Music of the Brick Church, 77 /., 

177-183, 284 /., 288, 321-326, 

380, 389, 482 /. 



N 



Naylor, Peter, 403, note, 517, 520, 

523, 537 
Nesbit, Robert, 69, note 
New Church. See Brick Church 
New England Theology, The, 156- 

158 
New Haven Theology, 100, 249 
New School schism, 168 /., 249. 

See also Reunion of New and 

Old Schools 
New York in 1717, 7; in 1766, 20- 

22; in 1850, 251: in 1855, 277- 

279; in 1873, 427 /.; in 1876, 

300 /. ; in 1908, 490 
Nicoll, Dr. John, 28 
Niles, Dr. Walter L., 488, note 
Nixon, John M., 284, 351, note, 523, 

526 
Noel, Garret, 20, note 
North, John, 69, note 
Norton, Charles L., 418 
Noyes, Emily C, 533 
Noyes, Dr. Henry D., 417, 435, 442 

/., 518, 530, 532 
Noyes, Julia P., 533 
Noyes, William Curtis, 436, ?iotc, 

533 



O 



Oakley, Daniel, 197, 252, 520, 638 

Oakley, E. B., 532 

O 'Conner, Charles, 265 

Odell, Hamilton, ix, 375, note, 388, 
518, 519(2), 527(2) 

Odell, Mrs. Hamilton, 330, note, 332 

Ogilvie, Thomas, 111, 517, also op- 
posite 122 

Olivet Chapel, 425 

OljTjhant, Anna, 395, note 

Olyphant, Robert, 523 

Olyphant, Mrs. Robert, 395, note 

Ormiston, Rev. William, D.D., 357 

Osborn, William C, 532 

Osborn, William H., 418 

Osgood, Samuel, 112(2), 517, 519, 
522, 524, 525, also opposite 122 

Owen, Capt. Jeremiah, 88 



Parish, Daniel, 199, 522, 538 
Parish, Daniel, Jr., ix, 351, note, 

375, 7Wte, 521, 523 
Parish, Henry, 523, 526 
Parish, Susan, 330, note, 395, note 
Parish and Schroeder, 486, 7iote 
Parsonage, 09, 80 /., 98, 356 /. 
Parsons, Arthur W., Jr., 521, 527 
Parsons, Herbert, 450, 484, note 
Parsons, John E., 338-344, 350, 

351 and note, 372, 375, note, 388, 

443, note, 505, 518, 523, 524 
Parsons, Mrs. John E., 333, note 
Parsons, Joseph, 418 
Parsons, Joseph H., 436, 523, 532 
Pastor's Aid Society, The, 393, 397 

/., 467 
Paton, Mr., 351, note 
Paton, Mrs., 330, note 
Paton, Thomas, 520 
Paton, Thomas C. M., 300, note, 

341, 518, 523 
Patterson, Alexander, 69, note 
Patton, Catherine, 199 
Patton, Rev. F. L., D.D., 388, note 
Pemberton, Rev. Ebenezer, 9 
Penny Provident Fund, 396 
Phelps, Miss, 330, note 
Phelps, Anson G., 200, 522, 524 
Phelps, Isaac N., 375, note, 523 
Phelps, William Walter, 417 
Phillips, Rev. William W., D.D., 

292, note 
Pierce, President Franklin, 266 /. 
Pierson, Joseph, 69, note 



56<^ 



INDEX 



Pelton, Philip, 69, note 

Pisek, Rev. Vincent, 397, note 

Pond, S. P., 178 

Porterfield, Miss, 395, note 

Post, Dr. Alfred C, 417, 533 

Potter, Ellis, 538 

Prayer meetings, 38, 85, 172 /., 187, 
225, 258 /., 327 /., 365, 370 /., 390- 
392, 393, 397, 424, 460, note 

Prentiss, Annie L., 411, note 

Prentiss, Rev. George L., D.D., re- 
lation of, to origin of Church of 
the Covenant, 405-409; his prayer 
for the church, 410; his description 
of the mission school, 413; called 
to Union Seminary, results of his 
pastorate, 415 /.; continues to at- 
tend the church, 416, 417. See 
also 505, 529 

Prentiss, Mrs. George L. (Elizabeth 
P.), 405, note, 409, 414, note, 417, 
533 

Preparatory Service, The, 174 

Presbyterian Church of New York 
City, origin of, 6 /.; calls Mr. 
Anderson, 7; condition of, in 
1717, 8 /.; worships in City Hall, 
9; earliest edifice of, 9; calls Mr. 
Pemberton, 9; edifice of, enlarged, 
9; calls Mr. Cummings, 9; con- 
troversy in, on psalmody, 9; calls 
Mr. Bostwick, 10; calls Mr. Treat, 
10; in 1765, 10/.; calls Mr. Rod- 
gers, 14/. ; revival in, 16; second 
edifice required by, 16; lot on 
Beekman Street secured by, 17- 
23; incorporation of, 27-30, 
103; collegiate arrangement of, 
30/., 103 ff.; duties of officers of, 
37-41; public life of members of, 
before and during Revolution, 
46-69; loyalists in, 66; buildings 
of, during the War, 69-72, 73, note, 
repairs New Church, 73-76; gifts 
to, 80 /.; associate ministers of, 
81-85; activities of, 1783-1808, 
85-91; effect of plague on, 91- 
94; considers dissolution of col- 
legiate arrangement, 103-110; sep- 
aration of, accomplished. 111. See 
also Brick Church, Rutgers Street 
Church, Wall Street Church 

Presbyterian churches in New York 
City, 106 / , note 

Princeton Seminary, students of, 
292, note, 296 

Profession and Covenant, The, 539- 
541 



Psalmody, 9 /. 

Purves, Rev. George T., D.D., 457, 
note 

Q 

Quackenbos, John, 69; opposite 262 
Quarterly meeting, The, 173 /. 
Quick, A. J., 533 

R 

Ray, Richard, opposite 262 

Ray, Samuel, opposite 262 

Raynolds, Charles T., 532 

Read, Colin, 403, note 

Red Letter Days, 515 

Reid, Whitelaw, 417 

Reunion of New and Old Schools, 
316-318, 415, 427 

Revision of Presbyterian Confession, 
402 

Revivals, 184-188, 388 /. 

Rhinelander, Frances D., 534 

Richards, Guy, 202, 271 

Richards, Rev. William R., D.D., 
202, 439, note; called, 475-477; 
accepts, 477; early life and min- 
istry of, 477/. ; preaching of, 478- 
480; advocates the open church 
and a third Sunday service, 480 /. ; 
seeks to reach all sorts of people, 
481 /.; interest of, in new build- 
ings for Christ Church work, 485; 
publications of, 500, 505. See 
also 516 

Riker, Peter, 20, note 

Robbins, George S., 522 

Robbins, S., 537 

Roberts, Mr., 178 

Roberts, Mary M., 333, note, 395, 
note 

Robinson Street lot. The, 80 /., 109 

Robertson, Governor, 71 

Rodgers, Rev. John, D.D., early life 
of, 11-13; pastorate of, at St. 
George's, 13-15; called to New 
York, 14 /.; first year of, in New 
York, 3-5, 15 /.; petitions for 
new site, 20, note; raises money for 
New Church, 23-25; lays corner- 
stone, 25; appearance of, in pul- 
pit, 33; preaching of, 34, 100 /.; 
leadership of, 34-36; degree of, 
from Edinburgh, 36; attitude of, 
before and during Revolution, 
45 /., 56, note, 60 /., 65-67, 71; 
preaches Thanksgiving sermon, 
1783, 74-76, 506; rededicates 



INDEX 



56S 



New Church, 76; in funeral cos- 
tume, 79; urges benevolence, 86, 
note; salary of, 88; growing old, 
91, 95, 112; appearance of, 95- 
98; manners of, 96 /.; character 
of, 98 /.; character of ministry 
of, 99-102; love for, 105; lays 
corner-stone of Rutgers Street 
Church, 106; opposed to separa- 
tion of congregations, 108; mod- 
erator of first Brick Church ses- 
sion. Ill; death of, 149. See also 
516 
Rodgers, Robertson, 36, note, 75, 

note 
Rogers, Charles H., 418 
Rogers, Rev. Edwin E., 420, 536 
Rolla, Mr., 182 

Romeyn, Rev. John B., D.D., 123 
Roosa, Dr. St. John, 417, 530 
Ruggles, Samuel B., 268, note 
Ruhfson, Rev. A. E., 345, 535 
Rutgers Street Church, 26 /., 85, 

105/., 108/., Ill 
Ryan, Mrs. Catherine, 210, 403, 
note 

S 

Sabbath observance, 240-242 
"Sacrifice of Praise," The, 323-326 
Sampson, Joseph, 199 
Saxton, John, 538 
Schermerhorn, Catharine G., 534 
Schermerhorn, Louisa N., 534 
Schieffelin, Henry H., 522, 526 
Schiefflin, Samuel B., 201 
Schuyler, Major-General, 64 
Scotch Presbyterian Church of New 

York, 10; 106, note, 339, 341 
Scott, John Morin, 20, note, 48-50, 
52 and note, 53, 55-57, 59 /., 65, 
67/. 
Scribner, John Blair, 417 
Scribner, Charles, 417, 418 
Scribner 's Sons, Charles, 140 
Seaman's Friend Society, The Amer- 
ican, 240 
Services of the Brick Church, 30, 
37 /., 76-80, 85, 171-183, 253, 
258 /., 326-328, 365, 368, 370, 
387, note, 389-391, 452 /., 458, 
461, 480-483, 491 
Sears, Isaac, 52 /. 

Session of Brick Church, 111 /., 189- 
196, 221-227, 323-326, 399-401, 
448 /., 509, 517-519 
Seward, B. J., 216, 527(2) 
Seward, WiUiam, 426, 436, 521, 531 



Sewing school, The, 345, 349, 393 
and note, 400, note, 450 

Sexton, 136, note, 528 

Shedd, Rev. William G. T., D.D., 
309 /., 315, 377, note, 516 

Shedd, Mrs. W. G. T., 330, note, 
333, note, 395, note 

Sheffield, William R., 411, note, 531 

Sick Children's Aid Society, The 
(see also Children's Society), 393- 
397, 548 

Sims, Ehzabeth, 534 

Singing school, 173, 179 

Skidmore, Joseph R., 418, 532 

Skinner, Frances L., 534 

Skinner, Helen, 534 

Skinner, Mary D., 534 

Skinner, Rev. Thomas H., D.D., 407 

Sloane, Prof. William M., 397, note 

Slover, Isaac, 69, note 

Smith, Miss, 330, note 

Smith, Benjamin, 69, note 

Smith, Elizabeth L., 534 

Smith, Epenetus, 528 

Smith, Eugene, 436, 523, 526, 532 

Smith, George, 538 

Smith, Gilbert, 69, note 

Smith, Rev. Henry B., D.D., 417 

Smith, Henry L., 467, 518 

Smitli, John, 20, note 

Smith, John C, 520 

Smith, Mallville M. W., 411, note 

Smith, Melancthon, 69, 7iote 

Smith, Thomas, 20, note, 59, note 

Smith, William, 20, note 

Smith, William, the younger, 20, 
note, 48-52, 58, 71 

Smith, William Allen, 411, note 

Sons of Liberty, Presbyterians 
among the, 49-55 

Speece, Rev. Conrad, D.D., 120, n/)te 

Sperry, Mr., 351, note 

Spies, Henry, 528 

Spofford, Mr., 351, note 

Spofford, Paul, 280, 284, 523, 537 

Spofford, Mrs. Paul, 199, note 

Spring, Rev. Gardiner, D.D., 25, 
note; preaches in] New York, 
120; is called, ordained and in- 
stalled, 121-123; salary of, 121, 
144, 270; parentage and early 
life of, 123-130; studies and 
methods of work of, 149-151; 
preaching of, 151-156, 162-164; 
depression and ill health of, 154 /.; 
theology of, 155-158; liberal 
spirit of, 158-160; "Essays" of, 
161 /.; journeys of, to Europe, 



564 



INDEX 



164-167; service of, during chol- 
era epidemic, 164 /.; relation of, 
to New School schism, 168 /.; 
publications of, 169, 500 /., 506- 
508; his conduct of the Com- 
munion Service, 176; of the Sun- 
day services, 176; part of, in re- 
vivals, 185-187; parish visita- 
tion of, 188; views of, in regard 
to amusements, 194 /.; his ap- 
proval of church discipline, 195 /. ; 
preaches at Sunday school anni- 
versary, 219; addresses the school 
220; becomes superintendent of 
Sunday-school, 224 ; attempt of, at 
Sabbath reform, 240-242; devo- 
tion of church to, 270; bust of, 
288; preaches at dedication of 
present building, 292, 294; re- 
quires assistance, 295 /. ; vigorous 
old age of, 297; welcome of, to 
Dr. Hoge, 298; fiftieth anniver- 
sary of pastorate of, 299; dis- 
agrees with Dr. Hoge, 305; atti- 
tude of, toward the South and the 
War, 306-308; increasing infirmi- 
ties of, 309-311, 315 /.; share of, 
in the reunion, 316-318; last 
days and death of, 318; long life 
and pastorate of, 319 and note. 
See also 516, 519, 527, 537, 539, 
note, 540, notes 

Spring, Mrs. Gardiner, 128, 299, 
note 

Spring, Rev. Samuel, D.D., 123 /., 
156, 245 /. 

Spring, Rev. Samuel, D.D., of East 
Hartford, 292, note 

Spring, Mrs. Samuel, 124 

Spring, Susan, 199 

Squires, Walter, 375, note, 527 

St. Bartholomew's Parish House, 
445/. 

St. George's Chapel, 74 

St. Paul's Chapel, 74 

Stafford, Mrs., 330, note 

Starin, H. G., 531 

Starin, John K., 223, note 

Steadman, Charles J., 223, note 

Stephens, John, 197, 520, also op- 
posite 262 

Stevens, Col., 81 

Stevens, Delia, 213, note, 223, note 

Stevens, John, 20, note 

Stewart, A., opposite 262 

Stewart, Frances V., 488, note 

Stewart, John A., 523 

Stewart, Mary, 484, note, 485, note 



Stewart, Robert, 69, note 

Stewart, Robert, M.D., 300, note, 
520 

Stewart, William J., 322, note 

Stimson, Dr. Lewis, 417 

Stone, Levi P., 518, 520 

Storrs, Rev. R. S., D.D., 388, note 

Storrs, S. J., 417, 530, 531 

Streeter, Dr. Ransel M., 417 

Strong, Theron G., 417, 435, 453, 
518, 530, 531 

Sullivan, Algernon S., 527 

Sunday-school Union, The New 
York, 212, 221, 228, note, 237 

Sunday-schools, 211-230, 252, 259, 
290, note, 293 /., 323, note, 364, 
370, 392, 397, 426, 428, 470, 483, 
510, 527, 545 /. See also Brick 
Church Mission, Christ Church 
Sunday-school, and Bible classes 

Sunday services. See Services 

Supreme Court of New York, order 
of, 263 /., 265 

Sutherland, Judge, 417 



Tait, Rev. Mr., 345, note 

Talbot, Rev. Howard A., 418 /., 
419, 536 

Talmage, Mrs., 330, note 

Taylor, John S., 140 

Thomas, Griffith, 285, note, 322 

Thomas and Son, T., 285 

Thompson, D., 537 

Thompson, Mrs. Elizabeth, 89 

Thompson, John, 111, 517, also op- 
posite 122 

Thompson, Jonathan, 199, 522(2), 
525 

Thompson, William R., 178 

Tillinghast, Miss, 383 

Todd, William, 69, note 

Tokens, 37 /. 

Townsend, Dr., House of, 279, 283 

Tract Society, The American, 237 

Treat, Rev. Joseph, 10, 20, note, 
56, note, 60, 81, 516 

Tredwell, John P., 538 

Trinity Church, 18, 27, 74, 80 /., 89 

Trustees of the Brick Church, 112 /., 
145, 203 ff., 254-269, 510, 522-526 

Tryon, Governor, 44 

Tucker, Mrs., 330, note 

Tucker, John C, 378, note, 403, note, 
518, 520, 537 

Turner, Daniel, 69, note 

Turner, John, Jr., opposite 262 



INDEX 



5m 



Turrell, Ebenezer, 403, note 
Turwell, Ebenezer, 403, twte 

U 

Union Seminary, students of, 343, 

403, note 
United States Government, 266 /., 

280 

V 

Van Desburgh, Mrs. G. E., 537 
van Dyke, Bernard, 384, note 
van Dyke, Henry, repeats sermon 
of Dr. Rodgers, 74, rwte; proposed 
for Brick Church, 375; early Ufe 
of, 376; education and first pas- 
torate of, 377; installation of, 
377; his description of the church 
in 1883, 377 /.; abilities of, 379; 
purpose of, 379 /.; he secures re- 
decoration of the church, 380- 
382; fifteenth anniversary of pas- 
torate of (1898), 383, w)te, 453; 
memorial of, to his son, 384, note; 
honorary degrees of, 384, note; 
affection for, 384, 386, 387 /., 
453; threatened departure of, 
385-388; his ideal of the church, 
385 /.; ill health of, 386 /.; early 
achievements of, 388 /.; preach- 
ing of, 389; influence of, on the 
worship, 389-392; describes work 
of church, 1883-1893, 392-394; 
reorganizes work for sick children, 
394-397; forms Pastor's Aid So- 
ciety, 397 /.; service of, outside 
the church, 402; appeal of, for 
endowment, 403; offers resigna- 
tion with Dr. Mcllvaine, 440 /.; 
is not permitted to go, 441-444; 
relation of, to new Church of the 
Covenant, 445, 447 /.; effects of 
ministry of, 452-454 ; resignation 
of, 454; aids in finding successor, 
454; serves as minister-in-charge, 
474-477; popularity of, as col- 
lege preacher, 478; ministry of, 
commemorated by the new Christ 
Church, 487; publications of, 
501, 508 /. See also 510(2) 
van Dyke, Mrs. Henry, 395, note 
van Dyke, Rev. Henry J., D.D., 

376, 377, note 
Van Gelder, Abraham, 69, note, 111, 

517, also opposite 122 
Van Glahn, Edward C, 518 
Van Valzah, William W., 521 



Varnum, J. B., 537 

Vaults. See Cemeteries. 

Vergereau, Peter, 69 

Vernon, Miss, 330, 7iote 

Vincent, Rev. Marvin, R., D.D., 
called to Church of the Covenant, 
416; church characterized by, 416 
/.; members recalled by, 417 /. ; 
preaching of, 418; policy of chap- 
el described by, 419 /. ; resigna- 
tion of, 420. See also 509, 529 

Visitation, parish, 38, 188-190, 
227 /., 294 /. 

Vose, Miss, 330, note 

W 

Waddell, Coventry, mansion of, 
282/. 

Walker, Dr. Henry, 417 

Walker, Stephen, 418 

Wall Street Church, 3, 16, 30-32, 
73,76, 103-111 

Washington, George, 51, 75 

Watson, Mrs., 330, note 

Watts, Robert, 375, note 

Webb, Orange, 517 

Webster, Rev. George S., D.D., ix; 
early life of, 421, note; becomes 
associate of Dr. Mcllvaine as 
chapel pastor, 421; describes the 
result of this relation, 421 /.; de- 
scribes changes in the chapel 
building, 422, note; describes the 
chapel work, 422 /., note; esteem 
of Covenant paistor and people 
for, 423; approves change from 
chapel to church, 433; installed 
as pastor of present Church of the 
Covenant, 434 ; conunents on the 
result, 445; work of, for children, 
483 /.; publications of, 502, 509. 
See also 529, 536 

Weekes, Nathaniel, 69, note 

West, Mr., 351, note 

West, John, 538 

Wheeler, Mrs. Candace, 417 

Wheeler, Dora, 417 

Wheelock, William H., 521 

White, Mr., 351, note 

White, Charles T., 300, 7wte, 530, 
531 

White, Charles Trumbull, 418 

White, John, 59, note 

White, Mrs. Norman, 330, note, 333, 
note 

Whitefiold, Rev. George, 9, 11 /., 
97, note, 357 



566 



INDEX 



Whitlock, Andrew, 537 

Whitlock, Augustus, 523, 525 

Whitlock, William, 112, 197, 252, 
517 

Whitney, William C, 417 

Wiesner, D. H., 530, 531 

Wightman, Rev. Richard R., 448, 
535 

Willett, Marinus, 60 

Williams, William, Jr., 517 

Wilmarth, John, 520, 523 

Wilson, Mrs. Abner A., 395, note 

Wilson, Rev. James, 82, 96, 101, 
516 

Wilson, William H., 449 

Witherbee, Silas H., 378, note, 523 

Witherspoon, Rev. John, D.D., 
79/. 

Woman's Foreign Missionary So- 
ciety, 393 

Woman's Home Missionary So- 
ciety, The, 393 

Woman's Prayer Meeting, The, 393 

Women of Brick Church, work of, 
37, 215, 216 /., 328-333, 364, 
393-397 

Wood, Oliver E., 520 

Woodhead, J., 538 

Woodruff, Albert, 223, note, 527 

Woods, Mr., 226 

Woodworth, Caroline R., 534 

Woodworth, T>. Austin, 534 

Wool, Jeremiah, 69 



Woolsey, Abbey H., 534 
Woolsey, Catharine Cecil, 534 
Woolsey, Charles, 411, 7M)<e(2) 
Woolsey, Charles W., 534 
Woolsey, Eliza J., 534 
Woolsey, Georgiana M., 534 's 

Woolsey, Jane S., 534 
Woolsey, Theodore B., 534 
Worship of Brick Church. See serv- 
ices. 
Wright, Grove, 112, 522, also op- 
posite 122 



Yale, Dr. Leroy M., 417 

Yale College, described by a New 

York Tory, 49 
Yates, Rev. Andrew, 118 
Yewell, George, 417 
Yonge, John G., 528 
Young Men, New York Evangelical 

Missionary Society of, 243 /. 
Young Men's Association, The, 300 

/., 367 
Young Men's Missionary Society of 

New York, The, 243 
Young Men's Society, The, 368 
Young People's Guild, The, 393, 395 



Ziesee, Mary, 395 /., 485, note 



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